Behind These Lying Eyes
by shehasnotime
Summary: AU After the death of their parents, Brooke and Haley James drifted apart. But when Haley's life falls apart, Brooke is the only one who can put it back together for her. COMPLETE
1. Miles Apart

Brooke James sighed as she slowly headed towards her fourth period Algebra class. Tree Hill High was a small enough school to mix honor students with level one math students. The only difference was that the honor students got more credits and more work. The class never itself never bothered Brooke, it was the fact that her know it all younger sister Haley was in the class. They were Irish twins, only nine months apart. Their parents thought it would be best for both girls to be in the same grade because they figured they could help each other out from time to time. But they were wrong.

She sighed as she took her seat at the back of the room. The class started to fill up eventually as the bell rang. The teacher, Mrs. Mason stood in front of the room and quieted the class down.

"Alright class, can anyone tell me what the equation on the board is?" She asked, as she pointed to the equation behind her.

The Jocks looked at each other like it was in a different language, Brooke rolled her eyes and took out her nail file, and other students looked out the window in hopes of avoiding the question.

The petite brown haired girl in the front raised her hand. "It's the quadratic formula." She said with a smile.

Mrs. Mason smiled. She could always count on Haley. At times she felt bad because she was one of the few honor students in the whole class. "That's right Haley."

Brooke rolled her eyes. "It's the quadratic formula," she mimicked as she raised her hand. "Excuse me teacher lady? Sorry, but when are we EVER going to use that formula? I'm never going to use that once I get out of High School. No one is going to put a gun to my head and say 'what's the quadratic formula, bitch?' So why don't you just give us all A's and we can call it a day." She said, flashing her famous Brooke James smile.

The jocks in the back cheered as Mrs. Mason sighed. "Ms. James, if I were going to give out grades judged solely on something like attendance or even effort, you would still get an F. Now I suggest you watch your mouth and pay attention if you want to pass this class."

Brooke went a shade of magenta as Mrs. Mason continued teaching.

"She said what?" Peyton Sawyer laughed as her best friend told her what happened in Math. They sat down at their lunch table with a few other cheerleaders from the squad.

Brooke went on with the story as Lucas sat down next to her.

"So she basically called me stupid in front of the whole class. Who does she think she is!" Brooke complained as Lucas laughed.

"Who called you stupid?" He asked as Brooke groaned.

Peyton laughed. "Mrs. Mason. Brooke said that everyone should get A's and she said if she gave grades based on effort or attendance Brooke would be getting an F."

Lucas held in a laugh as Brooke hit him in the arm. He shot a quick glance at Haley, who was sitting alone and got up.

"Well ladies don't miss me too much. I'm gonna go sit with Haley today."

Brooke looked at him as he got up. He shrugged and walked away. She sighed as she watched her boyfriend sit down next to her sister.

Haley look surprised as Lucas sat down. "To what do I owe this pleasure?"

Lucas smiled. "Today is Haley day," he said as Haley raised her eyebrows.

"I wasn't aware there was a whole day devoted to me." She said with a laugh.

"Well I figured I would switch off sitting with you and Brooke. I mean we still are best friends, right?" He asked in a somewhat serious tone.

Haley nodded. "Uh, yeah, I think. Wait, you're not sitting here because I'm alone right? Because I'm really not. I have the wonderful world of History to accompany me." She said as she held up her textbook.

Lucas laughed. "Just shut up and eat."


	2. Help a sister out

Thanks for the reviews everyone! Sorry it took so long to update, I was sick last week and was busy with school. But I'm on vacation this week which means I can write more. I still don't know exactly where I'm gonna take this story but we'll see how things turn out.

* * *

The end of the school day finally came at 2:30. Brooke joyfully shoved her books into her locker as she waited for Lucas to come and meet her. She threw her last book in there when she felt a tap on her shoulder.

She shut her locker and smiled. "Hey babe-" She started but stopped when she turned around and saw Haley standing there. "What do you want?"

"Well hey yourself. I was wondering if you could give me a ride to the café. I told Karen I'd help her out until Deb could come in."

Brooke looked at her. "Haley, the café is like two blocks away! God gave you legs, use them!"

"Yeah two blocks away from OUR house! You're giving Lucas a ride home anyways it's on the way." Brooke started to walk away as Haley followed right behind her.

Brooke reached into her bag and pulled out her change purse. She took out 90 cents and handed it to her sister. "Here's 90 cents. You can take the bus."

Haley stared at her in disbelief. "God Brooke you're unbelievable you know that? If mom and dad were still alive they would be pretty pissed at you for making your poor, innocent little sister take the bus." She said as she stormed off down the hall, bumping into Lucas on the way.

Brooke met Lucas halfway down the hall and gave him a kiss.

"What's with her?" He asked as Haley disappeared out of their sight.

Brooke laughed. "She's got too many problems to count."

Sure she laughed on the outside, but on the inside she knew that she was to blame for most of Haley's so called "problems." They were only 12 and 13 when their parents had died. After their funeral, Brooke made herself get over it rather too quickly. It was something she didn't want to dwell on so she forced herself to move on. Haley on the other hand had a hard time dealing with it. She shut herself out from everyone and lost most of her friends in junior high. Her relationship with her sister drifted apart as well.

Haley sadly trudged towards the bus stop that was located a couple blocks away from school. She was halfway there when it started to rain.

"Great," she mumbled as she continued to walk. She heard a car horn beep and quickly glanced behind her to see Nathan Scott driving up to her in his black mustang. His father had given it to him as a bribe to live with him. It didn't work but Nathan still kept the car. Haley walked faster as Nathan accelerated.

"Hey little Brooke." Nathan scoffed as Haley stopped and looked at him.

"My name's Haley." She snapped as she continued to walk faster, hoping Nathan would give up.

Nathan laughed. "I know. I just like to mess with you. You know, you look kind of sexy when you're all worked up like that."

Haley stopped and stared at him. "What do you want?"

"Nothing," said Nathan as he turned off his car. "I saw you walking in the rain and figured you would like a ride." He smiled and Haley rolled her eyes.

"I'm fine thanks. I'd rather walk than get in the car with an arrogant jerk like you."

Nathan couldn't help but laugh. "No need to be so acerbic."

"Such a big word for a jock like you," Haley spat as she started to walk again. Nathan got out of the car and walked in front of her.

"Fine, I tried to be nice. You know, everyone thinks you're weird, and now I see why. Why do you shut everyone out? What did **we** ever do to you? I mean your sister isn't like this." He asked as Haley glared at him.

"You don't even know me. And you will never get to know me. I could care less about what people think. I'm not my sister and I never will be. So just leave me the hell alone." She said as she stormed off down the street. Nathan sighed as he got back into his car and drove off.

* * *

The end of the week had finally come for the students at Tree Hill High. Today was their annual winter pep rally and the cheerleaders were scrambling to get their routine down.

"No, no, no!" Brooke cried as she scanned the squad. "Bevin it's one, two, three than kick! Theresa for the last time, shave and deodorize those pits! And Lisa, god Lisa, do something with that mop you call hair!"

She sighed and sat down at the table, burying her head in her pom poms. Peyton came and set down next to her.

"Brooke, there's no need to stress out over this! No one even comes to the pep rallies. Besides, everything looks fine" She said, trying to reassure her friend.

Brooke lifted her head up. "Really? Does it really look fine?" Peyton laughed and nodded.

"It looks fine. We're not going to have any problems."

"We have a problem," Peyton said ten minutes later as Brooke's eyes widened.

"What?" She asked, holding her head.

"Well you know how Kara Winters was suppose to sing the national anthem?" Peyton said as Brooke nodded. "It turns out she's out with mono."

Brooke breathed a sigh of relief. She figured Peyton was going to tell her one of the girls broke her leg or something. "That's no problem! I know someone who can replace her."

"No," Haley said as Brooke sighed.

"Haley come on! You have a great voice and you'll do fine!" Brooke said as Haley shook her head.

"You know how I get major stage fright. And besides you made me take the bus yesterday so why should I do something for you?" Haley said crossing her arms.

"Okay look. If you sing the national anthem then I will never make you take the bus again. Okay? I'll never call you Tutor Girl again and I will never ask you to do my homework again. Just please do it!" Brooke pleaded.

"I thought Kara Winters was singing it?"

"She was but she got sick with mono. Who would kiss her is beyond me." Brooke said as she rolled her eyes in disgust. "So will you do it?"

Haley sighed and nodded. "Okay," she whispered, scared to death.

Brooke squealed in delight and threw her arms around her sister; a rare sight, especially at school.

5th period came too soon for Haley. She was nervous and felt sick. But she didn't want to disappoint her sister. She spotted Brooke in the gym and went over to her.

"Okay, can we just get this over with?" She asked as Brooke nodded.

"It's just about to start. We're just waiting for the damn freshmen to shut up."

Haley nodded and took a deep breath. Brooke smiled. "Haley just relax. You have an amazing voice, you'll do fine." She said as she squeezed her sister's hand. Haley smiled and took another deep breath as one of the teachers told Brooke it was time to get started.

Brooke walked over to the podium. "Well welcome to our annual winter pep rally to support the winter teams! As some of you know our basketball team, led by coach Whitey Durham, is undefeated this season. We hope they continue with their record-breaking season. But before we start could you all please rise for the singing of the national anthem by none other than my sister, Haley James."

The crowd cheered as Haley nervously walked over and took the microphone from her sister. She felt her throat begin to tighten and her stomach turn. She opened her mouth, but nothing came out. Perhaps the mic wasn't on she thought. She tapped the top of it lightly just to make sure. Sure enough it was on. Haley stood there in a frozen stand. People began to whisper and point at her. She started to have flashbacks of when she went back to school after her parents died. Everyone had stared at her and whispered, "that's the girl whose parents died."

She looked at Brooke. "I'm sorry," she mouthed as she dropped the mic and ran out of the gym. Brooke looked at Peyton, Peyton looked at Brooke.

Brooke picked up the microphone and laughed nervously. "Uh, just sit tight for a few more minutes." She said as she ran out of the gym after her sister. She found her outside sitting on the steps.

"Look Brooke-" Haley started to say, but Brooke cut her off.

"No, no. It's my fault; I shouldn't of pushed you into doing this. I just thought it would be nice if everyone could hear how amazing your voice is."

Haley shrugged. "I, I can't do it, Brooke, I can't. I'm sorry." She trailed off as Brooke sat down next to her.

"Look, Haley, I'm not going to make you do this, but I think you can. You just need to believe in yourself. And you have to hurry up, Bevin's in there flashing everyone to calm things down."

Haley laughed. "That isn't going to calm everyone down."

"Believe me, once they see how small she is, they'll come down. Now come on Hales, let's go show them what you're made of. It's either that or you're taking the bus." Brooke smiled as Haley stared at her sister. Brooke held out her hand. Haley reluctantly took it as Brooke pulled her into a hug. "You'll be fine, I'll be right there with you." She smiled as Haley nodded. They walked in to the school and headed towards the gym. Before they went in, Brooke stopped Haley. "Just don't tell anyone I was nice to you," she smirked, "I have a reputation to keep." Haley laughed and nodded as they went back into the gym.

Brooke went over to the microphone and smiled. "Once again, Haley James," she said as Haley smiled and graciously took the microphone. This time delivering an amazing performance of the national anthem. Once it ended, everyone stood on their feet clapping and cheering.


	3. The new guy

Again, sorry it took forever for the update. I promise I'll update more often now that I have the story planned out. Thanks for the reviews and please keep them coming!

Kristin

* * *

Haley sighed as she desperately tried to reach her math book from her locker. It was inevitable; they always gave the shorter people the top locker and the taller people the bottom locker. Usually people would switch but for Haley the person underneath her was just about her size. She stood on her tiptoes as she slowly tried to get the book out. 

"Need some help with that?" Came an unfamiliar voice behind her. She whipped around to see a tall blonde haired boy standing behind her.

"Uh, sure," Haley muttered as the boy took the book out without a struggle. "Thanks," she said as he handed the book to her. He smiled.

"No problem. It always seems the short people get the top lockers," he said with a laugh as Haley nodded. "I'm Christian Young," he said, extending his hand. Haley shook it with a smile.

"I'm Haley, Haley James." She took a quick glance at Christian. He was definitely good looking. His short blonde hair complimented his bright blue eyes and perfectly tanned skin.

"Haley James? You're not related to Brooke James are you?" He asked as Haley rolled her eyes. Unbelievable, she thought. She had only known the guy for about 30 seconds and he was already asking about Brooke.

"Yes, unfortunately," Haley said with a small sigh.

Christian laughed. "She just gave me a tour of the school actually. She mentioned she had a sister. Are you guys twins?"

"She only likes to give the tours to get her out of class." Haley laughed. "Actually we're Irish twins, she's 9 months older than I am."

Christian nodded. "That's cool. I have a twin sister, Claire. She pretty much hates me."

Haley couldn't help but laugh. "Well if it makes you feel any better, my sister hates me too."

"I bet she's just jealous because you're prettier then her," Christian said with a smile. Haley blushed. "Well anyways, I better be getting to class. Do you know where room 290 is?"

"Yeah. It's up the stairs, third door on the left."

"Thanks," Christian said with a smile. Something Haley noticed he did a lot. "So maybe I'll see you around."

Haley nodded. "Yeah, maybe."

"Don't try to hide from me, I know where your locker is." He said with a wink as he walked away. Haley smiled in excitement. Guys usually went for Brooke, not her.

"He's cute isn't he?" Came another unfamiliar voice behind Haley. She turned around to see a tall blonde girl standing there.

"Uh, yeah he is." Haley said with a smile. The girl walked closer to her. "I don't think I've seen you around. I'm Haley," she extended her hand out, but the girl pushed it away.

"I know who you are. You're Brooke James' little sister."

Haley looked confused. "I'm sorry, but do I know you?"

"Well your sister certainly does. Next time you see her, you ask her about Claire Young, she'll tell you all about me." Claire said as she started to walk away. "And by the way, you stay the hell away from my brother. You James girls will never be good enough for him." She walked away as Peyton came up to Haley.

"Tell me that wasn't Claire Young in our school," Peyton asked as Haley nodded.

"I guess so. So who is this infamous Claire Young?" Haley asked as the girls started to walk up the stairs.

"Claire Young is Brooke's 'cheer-enemy'. She caught Brooke making out with her boyfriend at Cheer Camp last summer and has hated her ever since. She was the girl that made fun of our routine last year at the classic. I guess she's still mad about Brooke winning best choreographer." Peyton said as they sat down in history class.

"Well apparently she knows who I am and I'm not allowed to talk to her brother." Haley said as Peyton raised an eyebrow.

"Tell me her brother isn't anything like her," Peyton asked as Haley shook her head.

"No! That's the thing. He was really nice and seemed kind of interested in me. For once a guy hasn't called me 'little Brooke.'"

Peyton shrugged. "Well I wouldn't worry too much about her. Does Brooke know that Claire's here?"

Haley shook her head. "I don't think so. Christian, her brother, mentioned Brooke had giving him a tour but he didn't say anything about Claire."

"Brooke is going to have a heart attack once she finds out Claire Young goes to our school now." Peyton said as a small smile spread across her face. Brooke came and rushed to her seat, which Haley was sitting in.

"Up tutor girl, up," Brooke said as Haley got up and rolled her eyes.

"Okay, tigger, okay," Haley mimicked as Brooke glared at her.

"Don't call me that in public!" Brooke said in a whisper.

Haley leaned in closer. "Don't call me tutor girl then."

Before Brooke could say something the teacher walked in and began the class. She slumped back in her seat, counting the hours until lunch began.

Slowly but surely lunch finally came. Brooke decided she was going to skip math. Haley was waiting for Brooke's reaction to Claire Young being in their school and math class. But since Brooke never showed up she would have to wait until later.

"Who's that with Haley?" Jake asked Peyton at lunch as Christian sat down next to Haley.

"That's Christian. He just moved here I think."

"Oh. Christian Young, right? He's in my English class. He's a great basketball player. Nothing like his sister. Speaking of which, has Brooke found out that Claire goes here now?"

Peyton laughed. "No! I'm waiting for her to find out so I can see her flip out. It's amusing." Just then Brooke and Lucas came over. Brooke seemed in a cheerful mood as she sat down.

"Well hello, Cheery." Jake said. He had gotten into the habit of calling Brooke cheery from Lucas.

"Well hey yourself," Brooke said. "So P. Sawyer, have you seen the new guy? My god!"

Lucas coughed. "You know I'm sitting right here."

Brooke patted him on the head. "Aw, Broody! You know I love you," she said as she planted a kiss on his lips.

"So this new guy, what's he about 6 feet, blonde hair, really tanned?" Lucas asked, as Brooke looked surprised.

"Uh, yeah. How did you know?"

Lucas pointed in the direction of Haley. "He's sitting with your sister."

Brooke whipped around and saw Haley and Christian sitting together, her eyes widened. "Aw, isn't that cute!" She exclaimed as she watched Christian give Haley a hug before he left the table.

Peyton looked surprised. "Wow, Brooke, I think that's the first time I've seen you be happy for Haley."

Brooke shrugged. "Yeah well it comes and goes." Peyton laughed as Lucas and Jake rolled their eyes and got up to throw their trash away.

Haley could not stop smiling. It was the first time she finally felt a guy liked her for her, and not just because she was related to Brooke. She gathered all her books when Claire came strolling over, a group of girls behind her.

"I guess you don't understand what I said to you earlier," Claire said as Haley shrugged.

"What are you his mom or something? I'm not like my sister if that's what you think." Haley said as she tried to walk away. The girls behind Claire stepped in her way.

"I don't care if you're not like your sister. Stay the hell away from my brother, you got that?" Claire said as she turned around on one foot.

Haley gulped. "What if I don't?" She asked, but soon regretted it as Claire turned back around.

"Hey, what's going on over there?" Peyton asked as she pointed to Haley and Claire. Brooke turned around to see Claire knock the books out of Haley's hands.

"I don't know," she said as she turned back around. "So I was thinking this weekend-"

"Brooke seriously! You're not just going to stand there and watch some girl pick on Haley are you?" Peyton said, oblivious to the fact that the girl was Claire.

Brooke shrugged. "What am I suppose to do? Beat up every girl that makes fun of Haley? Half the school would be in the hospital!"

Peyton sighed. "Brooke if you don't go over there I will." She said as she got up out of her seat. Brooke sighed and got up as well.

"Fine," Brooke grumbled as her and Peyton made their way over to the crowd. They pushed their way through the group of girls-who where obviously afraid of Brooke-and tapped Claire on the shoulder.

"Is there a problem here?" Brooke asked as Claire turned around. Her eyes widened and mouth fell open. "Claire?"

Claire smiled and nodded. "That's right Brookie! Guess who goes to Tree Hill now?"

Brooke shook her head. "Wait a minute, you're the new girl? What the hell are you doing here?"

"I transferred in, how the hell do you think I got here? Now if you excuse me I was in the middle of something." Claire said as she turned around back to Haley. Brooke turned her back around. By that time most of the girls that were behind Claire were gone. Only a few remained.

"First of all, I don't know who the hell you think you are coming here and acting like you own the place. Second of all, you lay as much as a finger on my sister I will kick your bony little ass back to Bear Creek. Do you understand?"

Claire rolled her eyes. "Whatever. Come on girls," she said, signaling to the few girls who remained behind her. She pushed Haley out of the way as she left, causing the other girls to giggle.

Peyton smiled as she watched Brooke help Haley pick up her books that were knocked down. They still weren't getting along like sisters should, but it was a heck of a lot better than it was last year.

"Thanks," Haley whispered as Brooke gave her the last book, "for sticking up for me."

"Whatever," Brooke mumbled as she walked away, Peyton close behind her.

"Who knew that Brooke James had a soft spot for her kid sister." Peyton said with a laugh as Brooke rolled her eyes and kept walking.

"Yeah well someone has to look out for her," Brooke said in a small whisper. "Let's just get to class."


	4. Look what you've done

"Lucas, I'm boooored," Brooke whined as she flopped down on her couch next to her boyfriend. Lucas was watching an A&E special about John Steinback.

"Go do some cheering moves or whatever," Lucas replied, eyes glued to the TV.

"You know, most guys are addicted to porn. Not biographies on this dude." Brooke said as she stretched her legs across Lucas's lap.

Lucas looked shocked. "This 'dude' was one of the greatest American writers ever! "

Brooke laughed. "Whatever. We have the house all to ourselves." She said as she wiggled her eyebrows. Lucas sighed.

"Can we at least wait until a commercial?" Lucas asked as he turned the volume up. Brooke groaned and dramatically threw her head back on the couch.

"You're killing me, Broody!" Brooke whined.

"Who's killing you?" Came a man's voice from the stairs. Brooke turned around to see her brother, Mike, standing there. Mike and his girlfriend, Jen, took the girls in when they were just 14. He was in his last year of law school when his parents passed away. He owed it to his sisters to finish school. And now at 27, he was one of the top lawyers in Tree Hill, North Carolina.

"Hey Mike, how's it going?" Lucas said, getting up and shaking Mike's hand.

"Ah, can't complain. Work's been hell this whole week. I was just going down to the river court to shoot some hoops. You up for it?"

Lucas nodded. "Yeah, I'm up for it."

Brooke's mouth fell open. "You shut off your stupid biography thing to go play basketball with my brother but you won't shut it off to make out with me?"

"Relax, Brooke. You're just jealous because your boyfriend likes me better." Mike said as Lucas laughed.

"I can't deny my feelings." Lucas said as he walked over to a sulking Brooke. "How about we go to the movies tonight? Keanu Reeve's has a new movie out."

Brooke thought about it and nodded. "Fine. But I just want you to know I'm only doing this to see Keanu, not you." Lucas gave her a hug and walked out the door with Mike.

About ten minutes later Haley came storming in, slamming the door behind her.

Brooke laughed. "You're a little late there, tutor girl. School got out like two hours ago."

"Look, Brooke I'm not in the mood." Haley said as she ran up the stairs, almost knocking into Jen on the way.

"What did you do to her now?" Jen asked as she joined Brooke on the couch.

Brooke's eyes widened. "Why is it that every time she's upset, everyone thinks it's some thing **I** did!"

Jen laughed. "Calm down, I was only kidding." Brooke rolled her eyes as Jen looked around the room. "Where's Lucas?"

"Oh well Lucas decided to ditch me and hang out with **your** boyfriend." Brooke said, flipping through the channels.

"Oh well, let the guys have their fun. We can do something."

Brooke looked around the room. "What are we going to do?"

Jen shrugged. "Well you think of something while I go check on your sister." Jen disappeared up the stairs as Brooke went into deep thought. Just then Mike and Lucas came in, Lucas holding his hand over his eye.

Brooke got up from her seat and ran over to him. "What are you trying to kill my boyfriend?"

"I did it by accident! I was about to take a shot and he walked behind me." Mike said as Lucas waved him off.

"Don't worry about it, I'm fine."

Brooke sighed and took his hand. "We better but some ice on it." She dragged him into the kitchen as Lucas turned around and smirked. Mike laughed. Jen came down the stairs and sighed.

"We have a problem." She said as Mike made a face.

"That's never good. What's wrong?"

"You better go ask your sister," Jen said as Mike raised his eyebrow.

"Jen, I have three sisters, you got to help me out here." Mike said, mentally eliminating Taylor, who was supposedly at school in South Carolina.

"It seems there's a girl at school who has a little problem with Haley. And after school they got into a little fight." Jen said, her voice trailing off.

"Well is she alright?" Mike said with wide eyes.

"She'll be fine, but I think you should go talk to her. She seems okay."

Mike ran up the stairs and gently knocked on Haley's door. He walked in and saw Haley sitting on the bed, staring at the wall.

"Hales? You okay?"

"Yeah, I'm fine, never been better." Haley said in a rush. Mike looked at her.

"Jen told me you got into a little fight."

Haley sighed. "Yeah well it's over. I'm fine really."

Mike noticed the large bruise on Haley's arm. It was black and blue and went around her whole wrist. He then noticed a smaller bruise on Haley's left cheek. "Are you sure you're okay?"

"Yeah, Mike, I'm fine. It was just a little fight."

"With who? Mike Tyson! Haley look at the bruise on your arm, your face too! Who is this girl?"

"I'm fine! God, just leave me alone okay?" Haley yelled as Mike nodded.

"Fine, but I'm calling Principal Turner tomorrow." Mike said as he left the room. Haley sighed and buried her face into her pillow.

Brooke fished through the freezer for some ice when she felt Lucas' arms wrap around her waist. "Luke, I'm trying to find some ice for you." She said as Lucas kissed her neck.

"Brooke, look at me." Lucas said as Brooke turned around. He was smiling. His eye was perfectly fine.

"I thought you had a black eye! You had me playing nurse for nothing?"

Lucas nodded and kissed her again. "No offense, but your brother plays basketball like a girl. I had to get out of there somehow."

Brooke smiled and kissed him back. Mike walked in, not noticing Lucas' eye.

"Brooke, do you know anything about Haley getting into a fight?"

Brooke slipped away from Lucas' grip and shook her head. "Well there was this thing at lunch, but it wasn't physical."

"Are you sure?" Mike asked. "Because she said she got into a fight after school. Whoever it was with got her pretty good. Do you have any idea who it could be?"

It didn't take Brooke long to figure out who it was with. It was obvious that it was Claire who Haley got into the fight with. "Yeah, I know who exactly it could be."

Brooke ran up the stairs and into her sister's room. "What the hell did she do to you?" She asked, rolling Haley over so she could face her.

Haley rolled back over. "Nothing, alright? Just leave me alone. I don't need you to come to stick up for me."

Brooke sat on the bed. "That's not what you said today. Look, did Claire hit you? Because I will hit her back if she did."

Haley sat up and faced her sister. "That's the thing! Everyone made fun of me today because you came and stuck up for me. All your stupid cheerleaders were saying they're too afraid to talk to me because you might beat them up. God, Brooke, how are you friends with people like that? People that make fun of me."

Brooke looked at her. "Well I'm sorry I came and helped you out. Next time I'll help Claire kick your ass."

"I'm not saying that!"

"Then what are you saying, Haley?" Brooke asked as Haley shrugged.

"I don't know what I'm saying. I just hate it."

"Hate what?"

"I just hate being in your shadow," Haley said as tears pricked at the corner of her eyes. "Do you know what people call me? 'Little Brooke', Tutor Girl and Brooke James' little sister. Never once have they called me Haley. All your enemies are my enemies because people automatically assume I'm just like you."

"Haley-" Brooke began but Haley went on.

"I hate being made fun of behind my back. I hate how you don't acknowledge me and how you're embarrassed by me. I hate how Nathan Scott constantly harasses me and how him and his stupid teammates throw things at me in class. I hate how I have to risk my life just to talk to the one guy I like because his sister hates my guts. But you know what I hate the most?"

"What?" Brooke whispered.

"I hate myself the most, Brooke. I hate the person I am, and I hate the person I'll never be. Might as well be like everyone else and hate myself."

Brooke stared at her sister in disbelief. She had no idea that her sister felt like this at all.

"Do you hate me Brooke?" Haley asked as she sobbed uncontrollably. "Go on say it, say you hate me, Brooke. I know you do."

At that point, tears began to roll down Brooke's face too. "Haley. I don't hate you! I love you." Brooke sighed. There, she said it. She loved her sister more then anyone thought she did.

Haley wiped her eyes. "Yeah well you've got a funny way of showing it. After mom and dad died you-"

Brooke put her hand up. "Can we not bring them into this?"

"Fine," Haley mumbled. "Okay well now that I've told you everything you can go I guess. Go back to hating me."

Brooke was getting annoyed. "Haley, for the last time I don't hate you."

"Yeah, right. Is that why you made up the nickname tutor girl? Is that why you ignore me in the hallway? Is that why Peyton made you stick up for me?"

Brooke got off the bed. She had enough of her sister. "Do you want me to hate you? Because that's how I feel about you right now." She stormed out of the room as Haley fell back into her pillow, fresh tears forming in her eyes.


	5. These drops of rain fall all over

I know I say this everytime, but thanks again for the reviews. I really do appreciate them.

Kristin

* * *

Brooke slammed the door behind her and quickly brushed away her tears as she headed down the stairs. She found Lucas sitting on the couch watching a movie. She sat down next to him and rested her head on his shoulder. 

"Everything okay?" He asked as Brooke bit her lip to stop the tears from coming down.

"Yeah, everything's fine." She said in a rush. "Could I get a rain check on the movie?"

Lucas nodded. "Are you sure everything's okay? You seem like you have something on your mind."

Brooke forced a smile. "Really I'm fine. I just need some time alone, to think about things. Like new cheers." She quickly added in when Lucas gave her a look.

He kissed her on the forehead. "Okay, well I forgive you, but I don't know about Keanu." He winked and Brooke laughed.

"Thanks. I'll see you tomorrow." She walked him to the door and waited until he was in his car to shut it. She quickly darted up the stairs, into her room and onto her bed.

Once on her bed, Brooke let her tears fall down her pale face. She reached under her bed and pulled out a shoebox and a black notebook. She opened a shoebox and took out one of the numerous pictures she had of her parents. She couldn't help but smile at the picture. It was taken on Christmas Eve. Lydia and Jimmy were kissing under the mistletoe, while a very disgusted 6-year-old named Brooke stood behind them.

She reached over to her nightstand and opened the drawer. She took out a pair of scissors and a glue stick. Brooke opened the black notebook and pasted the picture on a new page. No one had known about her "parents album." She had dozens of pages filled up with their pictures and lyrics scribbled underneath them as a caption. She fished through the box again and pulled out a picture of Haley. She pasted it on the corner of the page and took out a pen. Underneath the picture of her parents, she wrote:

I'm all alone since you've been gone  
I can't keep myself from asking why  
Just wanna see my reflection  
in your eyes

_I'm feeling lately  
I'm going crazy  
Wondering how I'll go on without you  
**I keep on trying  
Slowly dying**  
**Thinking about how I need you here with me**_

Underneath Haley's picture she wrote:

_Just know that I'm with you  
and **what you feel  
I feel it too**_

_If you think it's easy for me  
Well, you're wrong  
Sometimes I'm weak and baby you know  
I'm not that strong_

Brooke wiped away the tear or two that fell on the page. She gently ran her thumb over the picture of her parents, wishing they were still here. She went into a deep thought when she heard a knock on her door.

"Just a second," she yelled out as she throw the shoebox and book under her bed. She rubbed her eyes one last time. "Okay."

Moments later a coy looking Haley appeared in the room. She gave Brooke a little wave. She had covered up her bruises with makeup.

"I'm really sorry, Brooke. I, I don't know what happened to me." Haley said as Brooke shook her head.

"Don't worry about it, Haley. I deserved it."

Haley sighed. "No, Brooke you didn't. I should be thanking you for sticking up for me. I really did appreciate it."

"Is she really bothering you?" Brooke asked as she motioned for Haley to sit on the bed. Haley didn't answer for a minute.

"She doesn't want me to go near her brother. I don't understand why. I mean he is old enough to make his own decisions for himself." Haley shrugged as Brooke bit her lip.

"Claire's a weird girl. She was nice to me one summer and then the next summer she turned into a total bitch. I would say keep on talking to her brother and if she bothers you, she'll have to answer to me." Brooke said with a smile.

"Oh, Brooke where would I be without you?" Haley laughed. She lied down next to Brooke.

"I don't know, but that's something you don't have to think about. Ever."

"Thanks," Haley whispered as Brooke smiled.

"Hello?" They heard a voice call out from downstairs. They both sat up and looked at each other.

"Taylor?" They said in unison as they got up and ran down the stairs.

Sure enough there stood Taylor, dripping wet from the rain. Haley and Brooke stared at for a few minutes.

"What's the matter? You girls don't recognize your own sister?" Taylor asked as the girls continued to stare.

"Taylor?" Brooke finally said. "Is that really you?"

"Well it's not Madonna. What are you two standing there for? Give me a hug!" Taylor exclaimed as Brooke and Haley awkwardly embraced her. "Man, it feels so good to be home. I missed you two brats."

"So, where have you been?" Haley asked. They hadn't seen Taylor in almost two years. She was always on the run from something. Last they knew she was a full time student in South Carolina. But you never knew with Taylor.

"Well before I answer that, can you lend me some dry clothes? I don't want to catch ammonia and then drop dead." Taylor said with a laugh. Haley looked shocked and Brooke raised her eyebrow.

"Yeah, you can borrow some of mine. Top drawer." Brooke said as Taylor smiled and disappeared upstairs.

A wide-eyed Haley stared at Brooke. "What do you think she wants?" Usually when Taylor came back she wanted money or a place to stay for a few weeks.

Brooke shrugged. "I have no idea. Maybe she's back for good." Haley snorted at that idea. Taylor reappeared in dry clothes, a towel wrapped around her hair.

"So, where are Mike and his woman?" Taylor asked as she glanced around the house.

"They went out to dinner," Brooke said as Taylor nodded. "So, how long are you back for?"

"I don't know really."

Haley shot Brooke an I-told-you-so look. "What about school?"

Taylor sighed. "I put school on hold for a while. What's with the third degree, _Mom_?" Brooke and Haley felt a shiver go down their body. They felt uncomfortable with her words. Taylor never cared much for their parents and wasn't really affected by their death. Two less people to stand in her way she thought. "Look, all that matters is that I'm here right now." She said as she put her arms around her sisters. "Now come on, tell me what I missed."

The thunder boomed and the lighting lit up the semi-dark house. Haley jumped at the thunder.

Taylor laughed. "You're _still_ scared of thunder storms, little sis? I guess some things never change." She walked out the living room as Haley groaned and buried her head into Brooke's shoulder.

A few hours later Brooke was lying on her bed talking to Peyton on the phone. The storm still in affect.

"So, I heard what happened to Haley. Is she okay?" Peyton asked as Brooke sighed.

"Yeah, she'll survive. I don't see why Claire hates her so much. She hasn't done anything to you."

"I don't know. Maybe she's just having a mid-life crisis at an early age." Peyton laughed on the other end.

"Probably." Brooke said as she heard distant mumbling coming from the other end. "Am I interrupting something?"

Peyton covered her laugh with a cough. "No, no. Jake's just messing around."

"Oh god. Just please tell me Jenny is in another room."

"Brooke!" Peyton howled.

"What did she say?" Jake's distant voice said.

Brooke was about to say something when she heard a knock on the door. She knew who it was. "Peyton, I have to go. Enjoy your little fore-play and you're telling me everything tomorrow."

Peyton laughed. "Bye, Brooke."

"Come in, Hales," Brooke called out as her door opened.

"Sorry," Haley said, clutching Mr. Waffles in one hand and a blanket in the other.

Brooke put her hand up. "Say no more. Come on," she said as she opened her bed covers. Haley tip toed over to the bed and got in next to her sister.

"Really, I am sorry. I know I do this every time it thunders. It just reminds me of the accident.." Haley said, her voice trailing off.

Brooke put her arm around her and gently rubbed her shoulder. "I know it does, no need to be sorry."

The evening of April 16th was a dark and stormy one. Everyone was advised to stay indoors if they could. But Jimmy and Lydia James had to make one last errand that ultimately ended their lives.

Brooke glanced at the clock, which flashed 12:07. "We should probably get some sleep, we have school tomorrow."

Haley sighed as Brooke shut off the light. She rested her head on Brooke's shoulder and grabbed her arm as the thunder boomed. "Actually, I think I'm going to stay home. Lord knows I'll be the talk of the school."

"Haley, if you stay home then she'll win. You can't give in to her like that." Brooke said as Haley's position shifted.

"Oh well," Haley mumbled as she shut her eyes, gripping Mr. Waffles tightly.


	6. Can't find yourself lost in your lie

Brooke sighed as she felt another weight on her bed. She had just gotten to sleep 20 minutes ago. She groaned and flicked on her light. She saw Taylor sitting at the end of the bed.

"Please tell me you're not afraid of thunder storms." Brooke said as Taylor laughed.

"Unlike someone, no." Taylor said, indicating to Haley, who was out cold next to Brooke.

"Just keep your voice down, you don't understand how long it takes her to go to sleep."

Taylor rolled her eyes and carefully examined Haley's face. "Is that a bruise on her face?"

"It's a long ass story."

Taylor whacked Brooke in the arm. Brooke made a face and whacked her back. "What the hell was that for?"

"Did you hit her?" Taylor asked with all seriousness in her voice.

Brooke looked shocked. "No I didn't hit her! Who do you think I am?"

Taylor shrugged. "Well who hit her then?"

"Some girl at school." Brooke said with a sigh. "She told Haley to stay away from her brother but I guess she didn't listen. So after school they got into a little fight."

"Well did she hit her back?"

"Taylor!" Brooke yelled, but quickly covered her mouth when Haley began to stir. "Ssh!"

"What?" Taylor said in a whisper. "What's this girls name? I'd like to give her a piece of my mind."

"Her name's Claire. But don't worry, I plan to take care of it tomorrow." Brooke said, as Taylor looked impressed.

"Whatever you say."

"Do you mind if I go back to sleep? I do have to be up in 3 hours," Brooke said, glancing at the clock next to her.

"Okay. Well goodnight." Taylor said as she gave Brooke a hug. Brooke made a face behind her; Taylor was never that sort of person to give hugs or say nice things about her family. She shut the door and Brooke gingerly got back into bed. She shut her eyes as the lightning lit up the room.

"Just end already," She groaned as she rolled over to the opposite side. The rain began to fall harder and the thunder boomed louder. Brooke huddled up to Haley and gently placed her hand on her thigh.

The next morning Brooke awoke to the sound of her alarm. She cursed and quickly shut it off.

"Haley," she began, shaking her sister, "come on, we have to get up."

Haley moaned and buried her head into the pillow. Most of the makeup had disappeared and had now covered Brooke's pillow.

"I'm not going," Haley said, voice muffled by the pillow. Brooke pulled the covers off her.

"You're going. And you're going to watch me hurt Claire."

Haley shot up in bed and shook her head. "No. No I'm just going to sit here all day and mope. I'll think about you hurting Claire."

Brooke looked at her, hands on her hips. "Haley Elizabeth James, if you don't get your ass out of bed right now I'll pull you out."

"Brooke Allison James if you pull me out of this bed I'll tell Mike and Jen about all the parties you throw when they're away." Haley shot back as Brooke looked defeated.

"Fine sit here and mope." She snapped, quickly getting dressed and leaving the room. Haley sighed and fell back onto the bed.

Brooke began to throw her books in her locker, getting madder by the minute.

"Brooke, calm down!" Peyton said as Brooke whipped her chemistry book in. She slammed her locker shut and started to walk away.

"Hello? Brooke?" Peyton said as Brooke continued to walk down the hall. "Brooke!" She said, grabbing her arm in an effort to make her stop.

Brooke whipped around. "What?"

Peyton looked at her. "What do you mean what? What's wrong with you?"

"It's nothing, I'm just having a bad morning." Brooke lied as Peyton looked at her.

"Brooke."

"I'm just thinking."

"About?"

Brooke shrugged. "How much I would like to rip Claire Young apart with my bare hands." She threw a glare to Claire's way. Peyton nodded.

"Well what are you waiting for?" Peyton said, "go knock her out!"

Brooke let out a little laugh as she marched over to Claire's locker. Peyton leaned back against her locker and watched from afar. Brooke slammed Claire's locker shut as Claire glared at her.

"Can I help you?" She bitched.

Brooke nodded. "Why, yes you can. You wouldn't happen to know how bruises on my sisters face appeared?"

Claire laughed. "Are you implying that I had something to do with it?"

"No. I'm telling you." Brooke said, her voice getting madder by the minute.

"Look, Brookie, I don't know what the hell happened to your sister, but if she wants to blame me then go ahead." Claire scoffed as she began to walk away. Brooke grabbed her arm and pulled her back.

"If you don't stay the hell away from my sister I'll make you wish you never came to Tree Hill." Brooke said, her tone low and serious.

"Is that a threat?" Claire asked, glaring into Brooke's eyes. Brooke glared back.

"It's a promise."

"Well why don't you ask your sister what happened," Claire said, walking away.

Brooke let out an angry sigh as she watched Claire strut down the hall. Peyton came over.

"She looks pretty fine for someone who just got their ass kicked," Peyton said with a laugh.

"Yeah well she said she didn't do anything." Brooke said. She wasn't sure what to believe.

"Brooke, it's Claire Young we're talking about. Of course she did it." Peyton said as she linked arms with her friend.

"Maybe you're right," Brooke said as they made their way to class. The girls sat down in their astronomy class and sighed when their teacher, Mr. Stevens handed them a pop quiz.

"Where's Haley when you need her," Brooke mumbled, staring blankly at the quiz in front of her.

* * *

"Good morning, sunshine," Haley said, watching Taylor come down the stairs. She moaned and made her way into the kitchen. She returned a few minutes later with a cup of coffee in hand. 

"What are you watching?" Taylor asked, raising her eyebrow.

Haley blushed at the Full House episode playing on the screen. "It's either this or Jerry Springer. And I don't think you want to know what the topic is."

Awkward silence filled the air as the two sisters kept glancing at each other, quickly smiling when they caught each others eye. Finally, Haley broke the silence.

"Can I ask you a question?" Haley asked. Taylor nodded and Haley went on. "How come you came back?" Taylor was silent for a moment. She wasn't sure if she should really tell someone why she was back.

"You really want to know?" She asked. Haley thought about it for a minute and shrugged.

"Well it depends. Are you going to tell me?"

Taylor nodded and then Haley nodded.

"I'll give you the G-rated version for you, Virgin Haley."

Haley made a face at the name. Her sisters always gave her a hard time for wanting to wait until she was married to have sex.

"Well," Taylor started off before going into deep thought about this. "A couple months ago I was having trouble in my Economics class. I went to the professor and asked him for extra help. He's not the kind of man to give extra help unless you earn it. So, the only way I could get help was to degrade myself and sleep with the bastard. It didn't bother me at first. Why would it? I was getting A's and actually passing the course."

"But, didn't it bother you that you were only getting A's because you were sleeping with him?" Haley asked quietly. To be honest, she wasn't surprised; Taylor did stuff like that all the time.

"It did, but I kept telling myself to hold on, the semester is almost over. Then his wife found out. Now trust me when I say this, Hales, it's not good." Haley rolled her eyes. She wasn't stupid. "She threatened to tell the Dean about our little fling. She gave me a choice; leave school or she'll make sure her husband lost his job. I couldn't do that to him, he loved teaching. Even if he was a sleaze ball."

Haley stared at her sister. Taylor shrugged it off and continued watching T.V.

"You want to tell me how you got that bruise?" Taylor asked.

"No," Haley whispered as she got up from the couch.'

* * *

"Hey, Brooke! Wait up." Christian called out as he weaved through various students. Brooke turned around. 

"Hi." She said as she followed him to his locker.

"Is everything okay with Haley? I didn't see her in English today."

Brooke looked at him. "Yeah she's fine actually. She just got into a little mishap with your sister I think."

Christian stared at her. "What? What did Claire do?"

"She punched her! You mean to tell me you have no idea about this?"

Christian shook his head and walked over to Claire. He grabbed her arm and pulled her aside.

"What the hell are you doing?" She asked as Christian gritted his teeth.

"What the hell are you doing? I thought I told you to leave Haley alone. I can go out with who ever I want."

Claire laughed. "I'm going to tell you what I told Brooke. Go ahead and blame me for Haley's little accident. I'm innocent until proven guilty."

Christian banged his fist into a locker as he watched Claire walk away with her hoe posse.

Brooke spent the rest of the day thinking about what Claire had said. There was a 50 chance she was lying. On the other hand, there was a 50 chance Haley was lying. She thought about it over and over again.

"Penny for your thoughts?" Lucas asked, sitting down next to Brooke.

She looked up at him and put her arms around him. "It's going to take a lot more than a penny for my thoughts." She grinned.

"Is that right, Miss James? Well then, how about I beat them out of you?" Lucas said with a smirk. Brooke immediately pulled back. The smirk went away from Lucas' face and turned into a frown. "What?"

"It's just that, someone tried to beat Haley up." Brooke said, trailing off.

Lucas looked mad. "Well do you know who did it? "

Brooke shook her head. "She said Claire, but Claire said she didn't do it." Lucas looked at her sighed. He pulled her into a hug and Brooke continued to think about the situation.

"Sorry to interrupt this Lifetime movie moment, but Luke we need to get to practice." Nathan said from behind them. Brooke pulled away and glared at him. "Oh, I heard what happened to Little Brooke, that's too bad. If you want, I could kick their ass for you." Brooke was surprised at the sincerity of his voice.

"Thanks, Nate. I'll keep you in mind then." Brooke said as Nathan smiled. Lucas gave her kiss on the head and disappeared down the hall.

* * *

"Things go okay with Claire?" Haley asked as Brooke walked in the front door. Brooke went and sat down next to her on the couch. 

_Ask her. Ask her who really punched her. _Brooke thought. But her thoughts were different from her words. "Yeah, things went okay."

Haley smiled and hugged her sister. "Thanks, Brooke. I'm going to call Christian and see what I missed in English."

Brooke quickly nodded, watching Haley skip up the stairs with the phone in her hand.

"So, what happened?" Taylor asked, coming into the room, sitting next to Brooke.

Brooke looked at her and sighed. "She didn't do it."

Taylor's eyes widened. "What? I thought she did!"

"Haley's lying. Claire would admit it and drag it out more."

"Well do you know who else could of done it?" Brooke simply shook her head and flopped back on the couch. Taylor ruffled her hair and gave her a small smile.

"You'll figure it out, Brookeyboo"

Brooke couldn't help but laugh at the name. Taylor nicked named Brooke "Brookeyboo" and Haley "Haley-bub" when they were 5.

"Thanks, Tay Tay." Brooke laughed, watching Taylor grimace at the name.

The doorbell rang interrupting the girl's laughter fit. Brooke smiled when she saw Christian there. He was holding a book in one hand and flowers in the other. Brooke let him in and Taylor's mouth dropped when she saw him.

"I told Haley I'd bring this to her. We started reading it in class." Christian said, holding up a copy of 'Pride & Prejudice."

"She upstairs, third door on the right." Brooke said. Christian thanked her and made his way up the stairs.

"Wow, who knew Haley would get a hottie like that! Usually that's your department." Taylor laughed, giving Brooke a nudge. Brooke laughed a little but looked a bit hurt.

Christian knocked on the door and slightly opened it. "I come baring Jane Austen," He said, sticking his arm through the slightly cracked door.

Haley laughed and opened the door. She gave him a hug and told him to come in. He quickly glanced at her bruises and sighed.

"Look, about the bruises," Christian started but Haley cut him off.

"Don't worry about it. Let's try to forget about it okay?"

Christian nodded. "Okay. But again I'm sorry."

Haley nodded. "That's alright." She was silent for a minute before finishing her sentence. "I bet Claire won't do it again."

"Yeah, Claire." Christian said quietly. He took out his notebook. "All right, you ready for some notes?"

Haley grinned. "Teach me, Mr. Young." She grinned and leaned in closer to him.

"Whoa, who knew you two were shacking up?" Came a voice from the door.

The two quickly pulled back to find Nathan Scott standing in the doorway. Haley looked at him.

"What do you want?" She spat as Nathan pretended to look hurt. He took out the flowers he was hiding behind his back and gave them to her.

"Is it a crime that I just want to make sure my little Brooke is okay?" He said in an arrogant tone.

"Little Brooke?" Christian asked as Haley shook her head.

"Don't ask. Look, Nathan, I appreciate you being here, but why are you really here?"

"Well I wanted to ask you something." Nathan said, eyeing Christian.

"Right, okay." Christian said, touching Haley's shoulder before walking out of the door.

"Nice meeting you!" Nathan called out behind him. He went over to the bed and sat next to Haley. She looked a bit uncomfortable as he moved in closer, and closer and closer. And then he kissed her. He kissed her passionately on the lips. At first, she tried to push him off, but gave in to the warm sensation his lips brought to her.

"You don't know how long I've waited to do that." Nathan confessed, as Haley looked shocked.

"Are you serious?" She asked shyly as Nathan smiled.

"Dead serious, Haley."

* * *

Sorry for the wait again. I kind of wrote myself into a hole and couldn't really get around it. This chapter sort of turned out the way I wanted, but not quite. Even though it may seem like a Naley at the moment, it won't be in the future. There is going to be a twist in their relationship. And also, Brooke will have a break down sometime in the upcoming chapters. I don't really want to rush it because there is going to be events that eventually lead to it.Well enough babbling, hope you enjoyed the chapter. 


	7. The wound that would not heal

Thanks again for the reviews!

* * *

Nathan continued to press his lips against Haley's. She continued to feel uncomfortable, but didn't want him to think she was too scared. He gently lied her down on the bed and began to unbutton her shirt.

"Nathan, stop," She gasped, desperately trying to get the 150lb+ guy off her.

"What? I thought this was what you wanted?" Nathan said. Haley kept a firm grip on his shoulders, she turned her head as he lent in for a kiss.

"Stop," Haley yelled. All these things ran through her mind. She remembered watching those videos in health class about rape and domestic violence. But Haley refused to let herself become a victim. She tried yelling again, but it felt like the walls were drowning out her plea. She felt tears roll down her cheek as she began to succumb to the force known as Nathan Scott. "No, please, no." She cried, but Nathan kissed her harder.

"Get off her!" Came Christian's shocked voice. He ran into the room and with great force, pushed Nathan off of Haley. She ran into the corner of the room and watched as Christian threw a punch that connected with Nathan's mouth. He smiled as he wiped the blood that trickled down his chin.

"You better watch your back, Young." Nathan sneered. He got up into his face, as if he wanted another punch. A slap was what he needed, but Haley was too afraid to leave her position in the corner. She cowered away from Nathan as he walked right up to her. His face just inches away from hers.

"You know, little Brooke, I won't hold this against you. I'll come back when you're ready." Nathan said, taking one last look at Christian before he strutted out the door.

"Are you okay?" Christian asked Haley in a soft tone. Haley shook her head and began to cry. He walked over to her and gently pulled her up by her wrist, carefully avoiding the bruises. He gave her a light hug as she silently sobbed into his shirt. "Do you want me to get Brooke?"

Haley shook her head. The last thing she wanted was to have Brooke sending Nathan death threats. "No," She whispered, her voice slightly muffled by his shirt. Christian gently walked her over to the bed and sat her down. Her small body trembled with every move she made. He gazed into her wet brown eyes. After what she had just experienced, he figured she would want to be left alone.

"Well, I'm going to get going. Call me if you need anything." Christian said. Haley looked up at him and grabbed his arm.

"Please don't go." She whispered, "Will you stay with me for a bit?"

Christian smiled and sat down next to her. He lay down on the bed, Haley following soon after. She rested her head on his chest. He reciprocated by putting his arm around her.

"Now, tell me something. When I first met you a few weeks ago, you said your sister hated you. It doesn't look like she hates you if she went and almost kicked Claire's ass. Something that I wouldn't mind seeing." Christian said with a small laugh.

Haley sighed and closed her eyes for a minute. "Brooke and I have a weird relationship. Some days we're the best of friends, some days we're enemies. But no matter how much I get on Brooke's nerves, she never lets anyone hurt me. She's always been there to catch me when I fell, or cheer me up when I had a bad day. Something my other sister never did for her. I guess she didn't want to become the person Taylor became." Haley said, wiping the stray tear that fell down her cheek. For someone who was almost raped, she was surprisingly calm.

"See with my sister and I, it's just pure hate really. We've never really gotten along because of our parents. My Dad was a bastard and my mom was an alcoholic. Claire always thought they would change one day, but they never did. I told my aunt how my mom would hit us when she was drunk and that my dad never came home. My Aunt called DSS and they took us from them and we went to live with our grandmother. Now, that was when we were ten. Seven years later she still hates me." Christian said.

"I'm sorry," was all Haley could muster. She never understood how people could hate their children. Let alone abuse them.

Christian shrugged and quickly changed the subject. "So, uh, I hope your dad doesn't come up here and find us like this." He said with a laugh. Haley bit her lip and sat up.

"Um, my dad's actually dead." Haley said, turning away to avoid Christian's look.

"Oh God, Haley, I'm so sorry." He said as Haley turned back to him with a small smile.

"That's okay. You didn't know."

* * *

"So what's this movie about?" Brooke asked Lucas and they made their way into the movie theatre.

Lucas sighed. "For the hundredth time, Keanu Reeves plays a supernatural detective who teams up with a woman to investigate the suicide-death of her sister."

Brooke stared at him. "Can't we just go see Million Dollar Baby or something?"

Lucas rolled his eyes and shook his head. "No. Besides, I've already bought the tickets!" He waved two tickets around in his girlfriends face. Brooke let out a huge sigh and followed Lucas into the theatre.

"This better be good." She mumbled as Lucas threw his hands up in the air. "I'm talking good like the song good. Lucas raised his eyebrow. "You know the song by Something Corporate." Lucas stared at her, he knew who they were but he wasn't sure Brooke did. Brooke blushed as she noticed the look Lucas was giving her. "Peyton rubs off of you if you spend large amounts of time with her."

"Well that movie sucked!" Brooke exclaimed, as her and Lucas made their way up to her room.

"How would you know? You fell asleep 10 minutes into it!" He replied, shaking his head. Brooke shrugged and planted a kiss on his lips.

"Does that make it up to you?" She asked as Lucas pretended to think.

"We'll see what we can work out," Lucas replied, as the two jumped onto the bed. The two were quickly interrupted by Taylor's voice.

"Whoa, guys keep it down. Mike is downstairs you know." Lucas quickly sat up and Brooke fixed her hair. She glared at Taylor's amused face.

"Call me later," Lucas whispered as he quickly left the room before Taylor started telling him how much he grew up.

He walked down the hall to Haley's room. He peered in the slightly open door and frowned when he saw her. She was curled up in a little ball looking sad and somewhat lost.

"Hey stranger," He gently said as he pushed open the door. Haley looked at him. For the first time today her eyes lit up and she was genuinely happy.

"Hi, Luke," She whispered as she watched Lucas make his way over to her bed. She sat up and wrapped her arms around his chest.

"Are you okay?" He asked as Haley's grip got tighter.

"Can I ask you something?" Haley asked. She turned her head so she could see Lucas nod. "Would you, would you miss me if I was gone?" Lucas looked shocked as Haley began to cry and tremble in his arms.

"Haley," He said in a surprised voice. "Why would you ask me that?" Lucas stared dumbfounded at his best friend.

"Because, Lucas, I can't go on anymore." Haley whispered. "Not without them at least. The only two people who loved me are gone and never coming back. It's not fair."

"I love you, Hales." Lucas said with a slight shake to his voice. "And I always will. You've got a house full of people who care about you."

Haley wiped her eyes and released her grip on Lucas. "Ever since you started to date Brooke you made less and less time for me and more and more time for her. I feel like I'm losing you too."

"Haley, I've only been dating Brooke for a year, we've been best friends for ten. I would never leave you." Lucas said, not knowing where she was going with this.

"No, you're lying!" Haley spat. "They said they would never leave me either and look where they are now! Six feet under a shitty headstone that says 'you'll be forever in our hearts'. So don't you dare make promises you won't keep." And for Haley, it felt like 4 and a half years of emotions came pouring out of her. It seemed like all the years of pretending caught up to her. Truth was she felt exactly like Brooke. She didn't want to talk about it and she wanted to move on, but there was something that was holding her back. And that something was herself. She stared at Lucas through her blurred vision and fell into his arms.

"Oh, Luke, I'm so sorry. I didn't mean to say that." Lucas didn't say anything. Instead he wrapped his arms around her small body and rocked her back and forth. All the commotion had brought a curious Brooke into the room. Her heart skipped a beat when she saw her sister shaking in her boyfriend's arms. Without a word, she quietly walked over to them and gently put her hand on Lucas' shoulder. He looked up with sad eyes and gently moved so Brooke could sit down. Haley was oblivious to Brooke, who was stroking her hair.

And for the first time in her life, Brooke James was speechless. Part of her wanted to crack a joke, something along the lines of _"Hey Luke, what did you do to her?" _But just because it sounded funny in her head, wouldn't necessarily mean it would sound good out loud. And for the first time since they were together, she saw tears well up in Lucas' eyes.

"It's okay, buddy, we're here." Lucas whispered his voice evident that he was going to cry. A part of him wished he could take his best friend's tears and make them stop, but if he were wishing for things, he'd bring back Mr. and Mrs. James.

Haley looked up and saw her sister sitting there with tears in her eyes. "Brooke," she whimpered, moving into her arms. Brooke embraced her tightly and kissed the top of her head.

"It's okay, baby, I'm here." She whispered as she began to cry. Lucas got up from the bed and paced around the room. He went to the side of the bed and knelt down in front of the girls.

"I'm going to go now, Hales. Are you gonna be okay?" He asked, exchanging worried glances with Brooke. Haley lifted her head and silently nodded. It killed Lucas to leave her like this but he knew he had to. He gave Brooke a quick peck on the cheek. "Call me later." He whispered before leaving the room and shutting the door behind him.

"Honey, what's wrong?" Brooke asked, breaking the awkward silence. She had a hunch as to what was going on, but part of her wasn't ready to hear it.

Haley sat up and looked at her sister. Her eyes were red and puffy and. "Why did they have to die, Brooke? Why!" Haley started to scream. "It's not fair, why would God be so cruel and take them away from us!"

Brooke tried to calm her down with a hug, but the last thing Haley James wanted was hug. She pushed her arms away and went on. "I just want them back Brooke, that's all I want. I'll never ask them for anything else, all I want to do is see my parent's again. That's all I want." Her voice slowly turned into a whisper as she collapsed back into Brooke's arms. Brooke felt a lump form in her throat as she felt tears trickling down her cheek. Tonight was a night of firsts for Brooke. It was the first time she saw her boyfriend cry and it would be the first time she'll talk about the death of her parents.

"Haley, come on, stop crying, please?" She began, gathering her sister in arms and pulling her close to her. "Mom and Dad wouldn't want to see you like this. I don't want to see you like this. It kills me to hear you cry like this. I can't bring Mom and Dad back, honey, I wish I could but I can't. I wake up every morning knowing that I will never see them again. My children will never get to meet their grandparents and Dad will never be able to walk us down the aisle when we get married. And I go to bed at night blaming myself for what I've done to you. I never meant to hurt you, but there was a part of me that's still angry and I started taking it on the wrong person. I thought it would make me feel better if I made you feel worse. You took your time to get over their death, I didn't." At that point, Brooke was sobbing uncontrollably along with her sister. "When I hear you cry yourself to sleep night after night, it tears me up inside knowing that I can't heal your pain. Mom and Dad may be gone, but I'm not. I'll always be here for you no matter what. Just remember that, okay?"

She gave Haley a little squeeze and watched as her sister got off the bed and grabbed the picture of her parents from off her nightstand. Haley crawled back onto the bed and snuggled back up to her sister.

"Look at them," Haley said in a whisper, "they were too young to die. They never did anything to anyone. They were good people, Brooke. Not once did they drink and drive, not once did they break the law, not once did they let us down." Inside Brooke felt numb. If Haley could say all these things, why couldn't she? Apart of her just wanted to run out of the room and into Taylor's arms, but the other part of her waned to stay and made sure her sister could get through the night. Being strong all the time was definitely a hard task for Brooke to complete.

"You see that picture?" Brooke said, pointing to the photo in her sister's arms. "They took the day before you were born. Mom was so beautiful, especially when she was pregnant." She tried to get Haley to talk about the things they remembered about her parents, but Haley wasn't listening.

"I just don't understand. Why did it have to be our parents? Why couldn't it be someone else's?" Haley asked, starting to cry again.

"I don't know why, Haley. I really don't. Why did Peyton's mom have to die? We're lucky compared to her. She only got to have her mom for eight years; we had our mom for thirteen. Why did Peter King's father have to die from cancer? Why does anyone have to die?" With every word Brooke said Haley began to calm down. Her tight grip on Brooke became looser and her tears began to stop. "With all these people gone, it just proves only the good die young." Brooke whispered, gazing into Haley's brown eyes. "Even though they're not here, their spirits live on forever in our hearts. And as long as you believe they're in there, they'll be with you forever."

Taylor sank to the floor against the closed door. She wiped away her tears, realizing she had a lot of changing to do.

* * *

Orignally I was going to make Christian the bad guy, but then I took into cosideration what Mony19 said. So sorry Naley fans, this probably won't end up a Naley. And to be honest, I'm not the biggest fan of Nathan. hides 


	8. One step closer

"You look like hell," Peyton commented as she watched Brooke rest her head against her locker. "She looks like hell too," she quickly added in when she saw Haley rush by. She figured it was probably due to the long, miserable, school day they were about to experience.

Brooke looked at her best friend and sighed. "You have no idea, Pey. Haley had some emotional break down last night and wouldn't go to sleep. And since god knows what Taylor was doing, I had to stay up with her until she finally fell asleep at five." Peyton gave her friend a sympathetic smile. She knew how hard it was for Haley to deal with the death of her parents. Brooke was the same, but she could talk about her parents without breaking down most of the time.

The bell rang, signaling the start of first period. The two friends linked arms and started to walk down the hall. Peyton had French with Haley so she stopped by Haley's locker.

"Hey, sister," Brooke greeted in her cheery voice. Peyton couldn't help but laugh, running on two hours of sleep didn't stop Brooke from being so perky. Peyton took a quick glance at Haley when she raised her head up from her math book. The bruise on her face was beginning to fade but it was still visible if you looked closely. She noticed that Haley looked more tired that Brooke did, prompting her to wonder if she had gotten any sleep.

"Hi," She mumbled quietly. She never understood why her sister was so perky. Most of the time she thought it was an act to cover up how she really felt.

"Well ladies, as much as I love to stay and chat, I've got to run to English. If I don't get there in time Nathan steals my seat next to Lucas." Brooke said as she started to walk away. Haley cringed at the name. Brooke quickly turned back around and knelt down next to her sister. "I have cheering after school so if you want to hang out until four or five I can give you a ride."

Haley looked up at her sister and smiled. "I have tutoring after school, thanks anyways. Apparently they need a little help with Math."

"Okay, well I'll see you in History!" Brooke exclaimed. Before getting back up, she gave her sister a quick hug and kiss before running off down the hall. Peyton raised an eyebrow and helped Haley to her feet.

"Do my eyes deceive me or did Brooke actually hug you in public?" Peyton asked in disbelief. She linked arms with Haley as they started to walk up the stairs to French. Haley simply shrugged, trying to hide the small smile that was creeping upon her face.

By 4th period Brooke was about to drop dead. Her eyes felt heavy and she had to keep applying concealer to hide the bags underneath them. She dragged her feet into her Algebra class and collapsed into the chair.

"Rough night, last night?" Theresa asked from behind her. Brooke simply waved her hand at her and put her head down. Theresa took that as a yes and laughed. "Luke was always good in bed." Brooke made a disgusted face. If she wasn't about to fall asleep she would of turned around and slapped her.

"Alright, guys, I hope everyone is ready for the test tomorrow. It's going to cover 5.1 to 5.5 in your book. It won't be hard if you **study**." Mrs. Mason said, passing out a review sheet down the rows. The girl in front of Brooke woke her up from the daze as she handed her the sheet. She rolled her eyes and grabbed it out of the girl's hands, passing one back to Theresa.

Haley took a quick glance behind her and saw Brooke with her head down on the desk. She sighed and watched as Mrs. Mason snapped her fingers in Brooke's ears. She turned back around and began the review sheet. Ten minutes went by and all she had written down was her name.

"What the heck does FOIL mean?" Theresa asked. Brooke was getting pretty annoyed with her and all her questions.

Brooke shrugged. "Do you think I know?"

"Well considering your sister is the smartest person in the class then yeah." Bevin said, bringing her desk over next to them.

Tim put his head between the girls. "FOIL means fuck-"

"Tim! Do not finish that sentence!" The girls squealed making Tim smirk. He walked away and sat down next to a bunch of guys on the basketball team. Brooke put her head back down on the desk, but was quickly woken up when she felt a hand shake her.

"Brooke!" Came Theresa's whiny voice. "If we don't do well on this test then we won't be able to cheer this weekend." Brooke groaned as she glanced around the room. She noticed that almost everyone in the class was paired up with someone but Haley. She sat in the corner all alone.

"Um, I'll be right back." Brooke said, getting up from her desk and making her way over towards her sister. She pulled the empty desk up next to her and sat down.

"Okay, Tutor Girl, teach me about Foil." Brooke said, pencil in hand ready to write. Haley didn't respond, she simply looked down at her blank paper. "Haley? Haley!" Brooke said again, snapping her fingers, which brought Haley out of her daze.

"What? Oh, sorry Brooke." Haley began to show Brooke how to do the problem. Mrs. Mason smiled at the two girls, but it soon faded when she saw the bruise on Haley's wrist. And by studying her contently she noticed the fading bruise on her cheek.

For what felt like an eternity, the bell finally rang, signaling the start of lunch.

"Remember, everyone. Study!" Mrs. Mason shouted at the exiting students. "Brooke, Haley, can I talk to you two?" She called out after the two, who were the last ones to leave the classroom.

"Look, if it's about sleeping in class, I'm sorry. I had a rough night and it won't happen again." Brooke started to say but was soon cut off.

"No, it's not about that." Mrs. Mason said looking at Haley. "Haley, I don't mean to pry, but I noticed you have a few bruises on you. Is everything alright at home?"

Haley exchanged a worried look with Brooke. "Um, yeah, everything's fine."

Brooke tapped her foot nervously; Haley was never good at lying. "I tripped over my cat and I fell down the stairs, that's all." Haley smiled, hoping Mrs. Mason wouldn't know they didn't have a cat.

The older woman smiled. "Oh, well then you best hurry up, don't want to miss lunch!" She sighed as she watched the two sisters walk out of the room, knowing Haley was lying through her teeth. But it wasn't her place to interfere, was it?

"Haley," Brooke said, grabbing Haley's arm. She looked at her sister and realized that school wasn't the best place to confront her about the bruises. "Why don't you come sit with us today?" She said instead. Haley smiled and nodded. They quickly walked to their table and put their stuff down. Haley left to get some lunch while Brooke sat down and greeted everyone as they gradually came down.

"Um, whose stuff is in my seat?" Theresa complained as she picked up a book.

"Oh, that's my sisters stuff." Brooke said as she pushed the books near her and put them on the ground. "Must have took them by accident."

"For a second there I thought Tutor Girl was going to sit with us. " Theresa laughed as Brooke let out a small laugh too.

"Like I would ever let poor Tutor Girl sit here, please, what is this? Be nice to geeks day." This caused more laughter from Theresa. Haley came back over, noticing Theresa sitting in her seat and looked confused. Then she noticed that the whole table had been filled, her books nowhere in sight. But instead of marching over and making a scene, she opted for the more subtle approach by sitting alone underneath the tree. Brooke could have kicked herself for what she had just done. Peyton just shook her head and watched as Haley ran her fingers through the grass like a little girl whose lost something.

The end of the day finally had come. Brooke and Peyton hurried off to the gym for cheering and Haley made her way to the tutoring center.

Brooke and the other girls were about to start practice when Principal Turner walked in the gym with someone in tow.

"Girls." He said in a deep voice, "I'd like to introduce you to the new co-captain of the Ravens." He stepped aside to let the girl come into view. Brooke's mouth fell open when she saw who it was. "Claire Young."

Claire smiled and thanks Mr. Turner. "Thank you Mr. Turner for letting me join the squad in mid-season. And of course for making me co-captain, I'm sure Brookie and I will do a great job together." The fake smile quickly vanished when Turner left.

"What the hell do you think you're doing?" Brooke asked, very pissed off. There was no way she was letting Claire Young take over her job as captain.

"Didn't you hear the man? I'm the new captain so move over, bitch."

Most of the other girls didn't know, or remember Claire from the classic last year. But who could blame them, she wasn't the friendliest person there.

"Excuse me, he said **co-captain**." Brooke fumed. "So that means I'm still a captain on this team."

Claire laughed deviously. Whatever she had planned was not going to sit well with Brooke. "Let me tell you something, honey. There is no such thing as co-captains. There's only room for one, meaning me. So if you don't get your scrawny ass back in line over there, I'll throw you off this team faster then you can say Ravens."

Brooke stomped over to the rest of the girls and sulked, throwing her pom-poms on the floor. Peyton sighed and patted Brooke on the shoulder.

Haley sat down at the empty table in the tutoring center and gazed around the abandoned room. She glanced at her watch and noticed that this new student was already fifteen minutes.

'_Five more minutes, and then I'll leave.' _Haley thought to herself as she began to tap her foot in anticipation. Five minutes had turn into ten, ten had turned into twenty and twenty had turned into sixty. This person wasn't coming she figured. She was about to leave when the door swung open.

"What, you didn't think I'd show up, little Brooke?" Came the cocky, arrogant voice behind her. Haley felt a shiver up her spine as she turned around and saw Nathan Scott standing there.

"Get out," She said in a shaky voice. Nathan simply laughed and walked closer to her.

"You know, you should really stop saying these hurtful things to me. One day they'll come back to haunt you." Nathan said, moving his face closer to Haley's. Haley jerked back and walked to the other side of the room. He put his bag on the table and opened up his book.

"What are you waiting for? Tutor me, Little Brooke."

Haley shook her head and glared at him. "If you don't get out in the next two minutes I'll call the police and have you arrested for attempted rape."

Nathan simply laughed. "Now, why would the star of the Tree Hill Ravens attempt to rape somebody? Say what you want, but I'll deny it. And if you even think of going to the cops, I'll make sure what I started last night gets finished."

Okay, so I know that wasn't much, but I wanted to get a quick update in. The upcoming chapters will have more drama in them, I promise. But for now I hope this didn't suck and you enjoyed it a little.


	9. I'm sinking slowly, so hurry hold me

Haley fiddled with the door handle of Brooke's powder-blue bug. She glanced at her watch and groaned. She had been waiting outside for at least twenty minutes.

"Need a ride?" Nathan asked, unlocking his black mustang. Haley shuddered at the thought and quickly shook her head.

"No thanks," She snapped.

Nathan laughed. "Come on, I don't bite." He looked at Haley and raised his eyebrows. She shook her head again and turned away. "Fine, suit yourself." He mumbled getting into the car. Haley cursed as it started to rain. She pulled her hood over herself and wrapped her arms around her body to try to keep warm.

"Who the hell does she think she is?" Brooke's angry, pissed off voice came from afar. Haley squinted to see Brooke and Peyton coming out of the gym looking pretty peeved.

"I don't know, but if she thinks she can get away with this then she's crazy!" Peyton commented. Brooke unlocked the doors and threw her backpack in the backseat. The girls bitched about the situation for another two blocks before Haley spoke up.

"Will you two shut up! You're giving me a headache. Who cares if Claire is the new captain, it's not the end of the world!" Haley said rolling her eyes. Brooke immediately stopped short and turned around to face her sister.

"Get out." She yelled, pointing to the street. Haley looked at her in disbelief.

"Brooke, you're not serious-"

"Get out!" Brooke yelled louder. Peyton watched in shock as Haley grabbed her back and got out of the car, slamming the door shut behind her.

"Brooke, there was no need for that." Peyton said as Brooke sped away.

"Do you want to walk too?" She glared. Peyton sighed and shook her head. Sooner or later she was going to have to fix this little problem Brooke was having.

The rest of the car ride was silent. Brooke dropped Peyton off at home and quickly sped off. She got into her house and immediately slammed the door.

"Bad day at the office?" Mike asked, coming into the living room to see what the bang was.

"Don't talk to me," Brooke said, walking up the stairs.

"Where's Haley?" He asked, looking around the room.

"Don't know, don't care." Brooke said from up the stairs. She went into her room and slammed that door shut. Throwing her bag in the corner, she went sat on her bed. Sighing, she reached underneath her bed for her black notebook and shoebox full of pictures.

Brooke flipped to a new page and fished around the box for a picture of her. Settling on the one of her taken before her Junior Prom, she pasted it in the middle of the page. The smile she had on her face in the picture made her feel disgusted. It was a fake smile, a smile to make it seem like she was happy. She took the black marker off her nightstand and began to scribble furiously underneath it.

_I tried to be perfect  
But nothing was worth it  
I don't believe it makes me real  
I thought it'd be easy  
But no one believes me  
I meant all the things I said_

She didn't look satisfied with the lyrics she had just written. She thought about it for another minute or two and added the following:

_This place is so empty  
My thoughts are so tempting  
I don't know how it got so bad  
Sometimes it's so crazy  
That nothing can save me  
But it's the only thing that I have_

But she wasn't done yet. To the right of the picture she wrote:

_Clutching my cure  
I tightly lock the door  
I try to catch my breath again  
I hurt much more  
Than anytime before  
I had no options left again  
I don't want to be the one  
The battles always choose  
'Cause inside I realize  
That I'm the one confused_

And finally, on the top, she wrote in big letters:

_I'm tired of hiding behind these lying eyes._

_I'm tired of this smile that even I don't recognize._

She quickly put the book away when she heard a knock on the door. Mike appeared at the doorway with an unsatisfied look on his face.

"You made her walk home in the rain?" He asked, raising his eyebrow.

Brooke rolled her eyes and shrugged.

"Why did she melt?" She mumbled, looking blankly at the blanket on her bed. It definitely wasn't hers, Haley's maybe, but not hers.

Mike let out a little laugh. "No, but she's pretty pissed off. But I'm sure she'll get over it." He walked over to the bed and sat on the edge. He looked at Brooke, but Brooke turned away. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah, I'm fine. Just a little tired." Brooke put on a fake smile, but it turned into a frown when she thought about the lyrics. Mike nodded and got up from the bed, shutting the door halfway as he left the room.

Haley stared at herself in the mirror. Her hair was a mess, all tangled and frizzed. She held the hairdryer in front of her, but was too pre-occupied staring at the photo on her dresser. It was of her and Brooke on Halloween 7 years ago. They were both dressed up as princesses, each waving a wand in the air.

"It helps if it's actually plugged in." Jen said from behind Haley. Haley turned around let out a small laugh. "Oh, I was just thinking." She put the hairdryer down and sat down on her desk chair.

"Anything special?" Jen asked, sitting on the bed. A mother figure she was not, but it didn't hurt her to try.

"Can I ask you a question?" Haley asked as Jen nodded. "You have an older sister right?"

"Five actually, but that's probably beside the point. Is something wrong with you and Brooke? Or Taylor?" She added in, remembering their newest houseguest.

Haley nodded. "It's Brooke. I don't know what's wrong with her. Some days she hates me, some days she loves me, some days she wants nothing to do with me, some days she does. It's really beginning to get on my nerves."

"Oh, honey, I'm sure Brooke's just having a rough time right now. I'd give her a few days, she'll come around eventually." Jen said, getting off the bed. Pretty easy question she thought. But boy she was in for a reality check.

"It's been like this for four years, she's not coming around." Haley muttered, running her hands through her tangled hair. "Today she invited me to sit with her at lunch, but when I came back someone had took my seat, and my stuff was no where to be seen." Haley sighed and twiddled her thumbs. "Am I an embarrassment?"

Jen quickly shook her head and knelt down beside Haley. "No, you're not an embarrassment! Who told you that?"

Haley got up from the chair and walked over to the window. She saw Taylor stumbling out of a car. "No one told me, I figured it out myself. I mean look at me." She turned around and stepped into the light. Jen looked at her and found nothing wrong with her.

"Haley, there is nothing wrong with you. You don't need to be so hard on yourself."

"Whatever," Haley muttered. She threw the hairdryer down and sat on her bed. "You can go now if you want." Jen sighed and left the room. She met Mike halfway down the hall.

"Something's going on," They both said in unison. "We'll get to the bottom of this." Mike muttered as himself and his girlfriend walked into their room.

Taylor quietly shut the door behind her. She went out the previous night to clear her head. She visited her parent's grave for the first time in years. Her visit was mostly silent; she still didn't have anything to say. Sure her parents weren't perfect, but they were still her parents. She tiptoed up the stairs and walked quietly into her room.

Haley bit her lip as she stared blankly at the ceiling. Most of her anger towards Brooke had subsided and she was ready to go make peace. She was just about to leave her room when her cell phone rang.

_Nathan Scott_ flashed across the screen. She rolled her eyes and picked it up.

"What do you want?" She asked, annoyed. Nathan was the last person she wanted to deal with.

"Look, Little Brooke, you need to stop snapping at me. Would you believe me if I said I was sorry?" Nathan said, his voice shaky and somewhat sincere.

"No," Haley replied curtly. She wanted to hang up, but something was telling her not to.

"I really am sorry. I never meant to hurt you, things got out of hand and I should have stopped myself. I understand why you're upset-"

"Upset?" Haley roared through the phone. "Nathan, you almost raped me! Of course I am upset. God you are so ignorant sometimes." There was silence on the other hand. "Nathan? Nathan? Nathan, are you there? Stop playing games with me!"

"I'm not playing games with you, Haley." Came Nathan's voice. Haley turned around to see Nathan in the doorway. Her whole body felt numb as she watched Nathan walk over to her.

"How did you get in here?" Haley asked.

"Your sister let me in." Nathan slurred.

"Get out right now," Haley yelled. "I'll get my brother in here."

Nathan put his hand up. His hair was in his face and his breath reeked of booze. "I've been a bad man, let me make it up to you." He leaned in and tried to kiss her neck, but Haley pushed him away.

"I'm giving you five seconds, if you don't get out I'll call the police."

Nathan swayed back and forth. "You can't deny your feelings for me. You know they're there." He stumbled out the door, blowing her a kiss on his way out. Haley shivered and poked her head out her door to make sure he was gone. She quickly ran down the hall to Brooke's door.

'_Should I go in there?' _Haley thought to herself. She contemplated whether or not to go in. She peered through the half open door and looked shocked when she saw Brooke. Her arms were wrapped around her knees and she was sobbing.

"Brooke?" Haley asked in a barely audible tone. She gently pushed the door open and made her way over to the bed. Brooke didn't seem to notice until she felt a weight on her bed. "What's wrong?" She gently asked, brushing the strand of hair that fell on her sister's face.

Brooke simply shook her head and turned away. Haley tried to hug her, but she quickly recoiled by getting off the bed.

"Did something happen?" Haley asked again, walking over to her sister. Brooke ignored her again and sat on the bed, tears pouring down her cheeks.

"Brooke, Lucas is on the phone," Taylor said coming into the room. Her voice grew lower when she saw Brooke. "Lucas, she's going to have to call you back." Taylor placed the phone on the dresser and walked over to the bed.

"Brooke, what's wrong?" Taylor asked.

"I, I don't know." Brooke managed to get out. And without even thinking she fell into her older sisters arms. Haley felt a tinge of jealously as she watched Taylor comfort Brooke. Haley was always there for Brooke when she needed her the most, Taylor wasn't.

Haley wanted to help comfort Brooke so she tried to hug her from the back. She was quickly pushed away by Taylor.

"Don't crowd around her, Haley. Give her some space." Taylor said in an annoyed tone. Haley moved to the head of the bed and looked down at the floor. Besides the small sobs of Brooke, the whole room was silent.

Like Brooke, Haley thought it would be funny to crack a joke. But unlike Brooke, she went ahead and actually did it. Not knowing the possible outcome. "What's the matter? Did Lucas leave you for another woman?" A smile crept upon her face. Taylor looked shocked. Brooke lifted her head up and stared at her sister. She started to cry harder at the thought of Lucas leaving her.

"Haley!" Taylor yelled. "Can't you keep your mouth shut? Look what you did!" Brooke buried her face into her pillow and Haley bit her lip.

"I was only trying to help," She whispered, not knowing what was going to happen next.

"You know how you can help? By leaving," Taylor snapped, grabbing Haley's wrist and dragging her to the door. Haley winced at the pain as Taylor dug her thumb into her bruise. She practically threw Haley out the door and slammed the door in her face.

Haley sighed and hung her head in shame. She walked downstairs and flopped on the couch. She watched as Mike groaned and threw his glasses on the table.

"Something wrong?" She asked timidly, Mike shook his head furiously.

"I'm just trying to figure out this case." Mike said in a rushed tone.

"What's it about?" Haley asked, trying to make small talk with her brother, but he wasn't having any of it.

"Look, Haley, I really need to get this done, so if you don't mind could you just leave me alone?" He snapped, putting his glasses back on, scanning the court documents over and over.

Again, she sighed and headed back up the stairs. She went into her room and flopped down on her bed. She lay in the dark, holding Mr. Waffles close to her chest. She trembled as she listened to the thunder boom, and the lighting light up her room.

Haley crawled into her bed and threw a pillow over her head to try and block out the noise. She tried to be strong, and avoid going into Brooke's room, but somehow she couldn't fight it. The thunder boomed yet again, this time triggering the memory of parent's death.

_12-year-old Haley James sat in the front room of her piano teachers house. She watched the rain fall hard on the ground as she waited for her parents to come pick her up from her lesson._

"_They'll be here soon," Her teacher Mrs. Renner, said, handing Haley a cup of hot chocolate._

_Haley swung her legs back and forth underneath the chair. She sipped the hot chocolate, careful not to burn her tongue and watched in amazement as the lighting lit up the dark winter sky. _

_An hour passed and Haley was starting to get worried. The storm had knocked the phone lines out and she had no way of reaching her parents. _

"_Mrs. Renner?" She asked shyly, walking into the kitchen where Mrs. Renner sat. _

"_Yes, dear?"_

"_Did my parents forget about me?" _

_Mrs. Renner looked into the little girl's scared brown eyes and sighed. "No, honey, I'm sure they'll be here any minute." _

_Haley nodded and walked back into the front room, gazing out the bay window. She saw a car pull up and watched as her 22 year old brother ran up the walkway, his hood over his head. _

_Haley quickly ran to the door and her eyes lit up when she saw her brother standing there. "Mikey!" She yelled in excitement. She jumped into his arms and hugged him tightly. "I was afraid everyone forgot about me."_

_Mrs. Renner came into the room and smiled. "She was beginning to get a little worried there."_

_Mike put his sister down and forced a smile. "I'm really sorry about that."_

"_Where are mom and dad?" Haley asked, looking up at her brother. Mike sighed and knelt down._

"_Haley, there's been an accident." He told her bluntly. She looked at him in confusion._

"_What kind of accident?" She asked quietly._

"_I hate to be the one to tell you this, but Mom and Dad, Mom and Dad are dead." He said, tears welling up in his eyes._

Haley snapped out of the flashback and huddled close to her pillow. There was no way she could do this alone. She needed Brooke, she needed her right now. She crept down the dark hallway and stopped at Brooke's door. She peered in and saw both her sister's fast asleep. She ran in and crawled towards the end of the bed. She practically had Mr. Waffles in a death grip as she forced her eyes shut, hoping to find comfort in the breathing escaping from her sister's mouth.

* * *

The first song I used was 'Pieces' by Sum 41. The second song is 'Breaking the Habit' by Linkin Park and the last two lyrics is from 'The Good Kind,' by the Wreckers.

Sorry it took so long to update. I had it halfway done on Thursday but i didn't really like where it was going. And on Friday I went to the One Tree Hill Concert and I got to meet Bethany Joy Lenz after the show which was awesome. Anyways, I'll shut up and if you're wondering, Brooke's meltdown will either be in the next chapter or the one after it.


	10. Sometimes you can't make it on your own

Brooke awoke the next morning in a daze. She groaned when she saw it was only 8:15 in the morning. She let out a yawn and turned over to see Taylor lying next to her, staring at her.

"Jesus, Tay! Are you trying to give me a heart attack?" She yelped, quickly putting her hand over her heart.

Taylor chuckled and sat up on the bed. "If I wanted to kill you, I would of done it by now." Brooke looked a little nervous, but quickly shook it off when she felt numbness around her right ankle.

"Oh, God," Brooke moaned when she looked at the bottom of the bed. She saw Haley fast asleep in a mess of blankets. She carefully took her foot from underneath her sisters head and rubbed it in an attempt to get the feeling back. "My room is not a hotel!"

"How often does she sleep in here?" Taylor asked, gazing at her sleeping sister.

Brooke sighed as she continued to rub her numb foot. "Practically every night. It used to be only when it rained, but now it's become an every day thing."

They watched as the ratty teddy bear dangling out of Haley's hand fell to the ground. She let out a small moan and rolled over, now facing Brooke and Taylor.

"Did you ever figure out how she got those bruises?" Taylor asked in a small whisper, hoping not to wake Haley up.

Brooke shook her head and sat up, leaning her head against the headboard. "No, but whatever she's hiding I'll find out. I have a fifth sense like that."

Taylor burst out laughing, as Brooke looked at her confused. "It's sixth sense you dork." Brooke rolled her eyes and shrugged. "Come on, I'll make you breakfast. Should we wake her up?" She pointed to a sound asleep Haley.

Brooke shook her head and smiled. "Nah, let her sleep, lord knows she needs it."

The two sisters quietly crept out of bed and headed down the stairs and into the large kitchen. Brooke sat at the island and watched as Taylor fished through the cabinets.

"Any requests?" She asked, taking out a few eggs from the fridge. "Eggs? Waffles? Toast?"

Brooke shrugged. "I don't know. How about a bacon egg and cheese?" She asked sweetly, batting her eyelashes.

Taylor put her hands on her hips and sighed. "Brooke, you're not five anymore, give it up." Brooke continued to bat her eyelashes until she gave in. "Alright, fine! But you're doing the dishes."

Brooke squealed in excitement and poured herself a glass of juice. A few minutes later, they heard footsteps come down the stairs. Haley appeared a few seconds later.

"Morning!" Brooke said in an over zealous tone. "We weren't sure if you wanted to get up so we figured we'd let you sleep in."

Haley ignored Brooke and grabbed a bowl from the cabinet. She slammed it on the counter and grabbed the box of cereal from the top of the refrigerator and slammed it down next to the bowl.

Before Haley could pour the cereal, Taylor snatched it out of her hands and put it behind her.

"I'm making you a bacon egg and cheese." She said with a smile something she thought Haley would return with.

"I don't want one," Haley muttered, grabbing the cereal and pouring it into the bowl. She poured the milk in and practically threw it back in the fridge. She grabbed a spoon from the drawer and slammed it shut, she left the room leaving her two sisters speechless.

"Jeeze, what's her problem?" Taylor asked annoyed. Brooke shrugged.

"I don't know but I'll go find out." Brooke mumbled walking towards the living room, but quickly turned back around. "Watch those eggs, I don't like them burnt!" Taylor rolled her eyes as she watched her sister disappear into the other room.

"A little old to be watching cartoons, aren't we tutor girl?" Brooke said with a laugh, climbing over Haley's legs that were rested on the table.

"So what's up?" She asked, gently tapping Haley's leg. Haley abruptly took them off the table and rested them underneath.

Brooke watched as her sister gazed into her cereal. Every now and then she would move the lucky charms around with her spoon, not bothering to look up at Brooke.

"Haley?" Brooke asked quietly. She was probably better off getting a response from the wall. Haley looked up at her sister and was about to say something when Taylor walked in, three plates balanced in her arms.

Brooke liked her lips and graciously accepted the breakfast sandwich. Taylor placed the other one in front of Haley, and then sat down on the armchair across the room.

Haley raised her eyebrow at the sandwich sitting in front of her. "I said I didn't want one." She bitched, pushing it aside. Brooke was too busy wolfing down her food to notice.

"I know," Taylor shot back defensively, "I just thought I'd be nice and make one for you anyways. They are starving people in the world that would be glad to have that!"

Haley rolled her eyes. She picked up the plate and shoved it into Taylor's arms. "Give it to them then."

Taylor put the plates down on the table and looked outraged. "Don't you dare walk away from me," She yelled as she watched Haley stomp up the stairs.

"Go to hell you stupid bitch," She heard Haley mutter as she made her way up. Brooke almost choked on her food. She could never imagine Haley saying something like that to anyone.

Taylor was about to go after her when Brooke grabbed her arm. "Taylor, don't. Just let her cool off, I'm sure she's just mad about something."

"Who the hell does she think she is? You try to be nice to someone and this is the thanks I get? If she thinks she's going to get away with this then she's got another thing coming." Taylor complained, snatching the plates off the table and bringing them into the kitchen.

Brooke rolled her eyes. If people thought she was dramatic, then they would be in for a shock if they met Taylor. Her parents used to tell her she learned to be a drama queen from Taylor. In fact, Brooke was nicknamed Taylor Jr. by most of her relatives, a nickname that soon wore off after the accident.

'_What could she be so mad about?' _Brooke thought. She pondered on the question for a few minutes before it hit her. "Last night," she muttered out loud. She quickly ran up the stairs, almost knocking into someone on the way.

"Sorry!" She called out, not bothering to see who it was. Mike shook his head. 'Teenagers.' He mumbled, obviously unaware of what just happened down stairs. Even if he did, he probably wouldn't have the time to fix it. He was already late for work, and this case he was working on was riding on his shoulders. If he didn't win this case then his career could be over. No one beats Mike James in court, no one.

Brooke finally reached Haley's room and groaned when she saw it was empty. She searched the whole upstairs and still hadn't found her sister. There was still one room she hadn't looked in. Her parent's room. Brooke hadn't set foot in there in four years. She took a deep breath and opened the door.

Haley practically jumped out of her skin when the door flew open. She calmed down a bit when she saw Brooke walk into the room, shutting the door behind her.

"What are you doing in here?" Brooke asked her, leaning against the wall.

Haley shrugged and fiddled with a stray thread on the bed covers. "I, I don't know," she stuttered, trying to find the right words. Brooke sank down to the floor, avoiding going to sit on the bed. It made her feel uncomfortable to be in a room she hadn't been in for a long time.

She scanned the room; the bed was neatly made, courtesy of either Mike or Jen, photos hung neatly on the wall, and shades were pulled open, allowing the daylight to shine right through. You would never tell that this room was unused and that the occupants were dead.

"Do you come here a lot?" Brooke finally asked, breaking the never-ending silence. Haley shrugged again and looked out the window.

"Only when something's bothering me," Haley whispered, just loud enough for Brooke to hear.

Brooke ran her hand over the carpet and stared dully at the ugly color. It was a maroon color with a hint to brown to it. Her father had found it at a yard sale and insisted they bring it on home. And whatever made her dad happy, made her mom happy.

"If it's about last night, I'm sorry." Brooke began to say, but was soon cut off by Haley.

"No, no, it's not your fault. I should of known better, I'm sorry, it sounded better in my head." Haley said, getting off the bed and standing near the dresser. Brooke got up and walked over to her, gently placing her hand on Haley's shoulder.

"Hales, are you okay?" Brooke asked sincerely, it killed her to know that something was bothering her and she couldn't do a thing about it. "You can tell me anything, you know that."

Haley bit her lip, desperately trying to think of a lie to cover up her true feelings. "I'm fine Brooke, really." Brooke raised an eyebrow, not buying any of it. "I should be asking you the same thing," Haley shot back, "are you okay?"

Brooke shrugged, she too was looking for a lie to tell. She put on when of her famous smiles and nodded. "Yep, never been better."

"You're lying," Haley said, crossing her arms. Brooke did the same.

"So are you," She said back, staring intensely at her sister, hoping to crack her. Haley quickly turned away, possibly avoiding a huge lecture from Brooke.

Brooke put her hand up and sighed. "Alright, well I'm not going to make you tell me, but when you're ready, I'll be here." She smiled and started to walk to the door.

"Brooke wait," Haley called out. Brooke turned around, hoping her sister was ready to tell her. "Thanks," Haley said with a smile. She ran up to her sister and gave her a hug. Brooke did the same, but she didn't want to let go. She wanted to hold her for as long as she could, hoping to erase all her problems and make her feel better again. But it wasn't something she could do, not unless Haley was willing to work with her.

But eventually Haley broke away from the embrace. Brooke shook her head in an attempt to break away from her daze. "Well, have fun doing whatever you're doing." Brooke murmured, opening the door. This time she was halfway out the door when Haley called out her name again.

"Brooke," Haley called out again, this time her voice shaky. Brooke reappeared again, this time her arms wide open. Haley fell back into them and buried her face into her sister's shoulder.

"Brooke, I'm scared." Haley said with a muffled voice. Brooke gently pulled her way from herself so she could face her.

"Scared about what, baby?" Brooke asked in a gentle tone. Haley sniffled and took a deep breath.

"Tomorrow," she whispered, leaving Brooke confused. Tomorrow. What was tomorrow? It was Sunday, why would Haley possibly be afraid on a Sunday? It took her a minute to realize what tomorrow was, April 16th, 2005. The 5-year anniversary of her parent's death. She held her tighter and gently stroked her hair.

"It'll be fine, I'll be there with you, don't worry." Was all Brooke could come up with. Nothing she could say was going to make Haley feel better so she might as well let her know that she'd be there for her every step of the way.

"Thanks, Tigger," Haley whispered, pulling herself out the embrace and walking out of the room, avoiding Taylor at all costs. Brooke took one last look at the room and quickly followed her sister out, gently shutting the door behind her.

"Haley!" Brooke called out, running up to her sister before she went downstairs. "Peyton and I are going shopping later, why don't you come with us?" Brooke gave her a smile and clasped her hands together, in a begging position.

Haley shook her head and smiled. "No, that's okay." Brooke looked at her and tried pleading with her. "Sorry, Brooke, but Christian's coming over later."

"Ohh," Brooke said with a wink. "Do you two have something going on that I don't know about?"

"No!" Haley said a little too quickly. Brooke squealed in delight.

"You do too! Aw, this is too cute! Wait till I tell Peyton!"

Haley grabbed her arm before she could reach the phone. "Brooke, no. Seriously nothing is going on with us, he's just a friend. Honestly." Brooke didn't look convinced, but decided to give her sister a break. They linked arms and headed down the stairs.

"Just a friend, huh?" Taylor said with a sly grin from the corner. "Haley thinks she can give me attitude and get away with it? Wait until she sees what I do later tonight."

What felt like forever, Brooke finally left with Peyton and Haley was eager to get ready for Christian to come over. Sure they were only friends, but Haley was sure she felt something more to their friendship.

The doorbell rang and Haley ran down the stairs. She was still pretty much ignoring Taylor, who really didn't seem to mind. Taylor took it upon herself to go upstairs and leave the two teenagers alone.

"Hey, Christian, come on in," Haley said, trying to hide the smile that was creeping upon her face. He smiled back and gladly stepped in. He blonde hair was neater than usual, his striped polo shirt went well with his dark jeans and Haley could of swore she smelt cologne.

"You look nice," He said, glancing at Haley from top to bottom. She looked different then she did in school. Her hair was straighter then usual and she had a tiny bit of makeup, mostly to cover up the bruises.

"Thanks," She said, leading him into the living room. "So, what did you want to do?"

Christian shrugged and took out something from underneath his jacket. "Well someone told me how much of a Will Ferrell fan you are, so I brought this." He handed her the best of Will Ferrell volume 1, a smile from ear to ear on his face.

Haley's eyes widened. "Do they have the cowbell skit?" She asked in excitement. Christian nodded and grinned.

"Of course! That's the best one!" Haley nodded back and laughed.

"Well, you can get it started and I'll make us some popcorn." She quickly jumped off the couch and ran into the kitchen. Christian smiled and popped the DVD in, waiting for Haley to come back.

Taylor appeared in the room and smiled. She sat down next to him and waved.

"Uh, Hi?" Christian said, unsure who this girl way.

"So you and little sis shacking up or what?" Taylor said, not bothering to introduce herself. Christian just assumed that this unfamiliar girl was Haley's sister.

"Um, no. We're just friends." He said, sounding a bit disappointed.

"Friends, friends? Or Friends with benefits?" She asked, inching closer to him.

"No, just friends." Christian stated slowly, making sure he got the point across to her.

Taylor smiled and shrugged. "Well good then. You won't mind if I do this," and before he could stop her, Taylor lunged herself and planted a kiss on his lips. Haley stood in back of them shocked and hurt. She dropped the popcorn bowl and ran out the door. Christian immediately pushed Taylor off of himself and got up, wiping his lips.

"Tell Haley I'll see her later," He snapped, rushing out the door, not noticing the trail of spilled popcorn on the floor. Satisfied with herself, Taylor grinned and played the DVD.

Haley ran down the street as fast as her legs could take her. She was crying uncontrollably and stumbling up the hill. She didn't care if people saw her or not, she was too upset and pissed off to care.

She ran up the hill and then turned the corner. She hadn't planned to go there, but it was the only place she could think of. She banged the door furiously and waited for him to come out.

A few seconds later, Lucas appeared, looking like he had just woken up. His eyes widened when he saw his best friend sobbing on his porch.

"Hales? What's wrong?" He asked, worried. She shook her head, unable to speak and fell into his arms. "Buddy, what happened?" He asked again, but she still couldn't respond.

"I, she, he," was all she could get out. She tried to pull out of his arms, but he wouldn't let her go. She gently banged her fists onto his chest in an effort to break free, but Lucas wasn't having any of it. He brought her inside and gently sat her on the bed.

Haley grabbed his pillow and buried her face deep into it. Lucas sat there worried and a bit scared. He had never seen Haley act like this before. The kiss kept replaying over and over again in her head. Her lips against his. Neither of them making an effort to stop.

"Haley?" He gently asked, rubbing her shoulder. But she pulled back and fell back onto the bed, trying to muffle her sobs.

Her cries became so loud that Andy came in to see what was going on. Lucas looked at him concerned.

"I'll get your mum," Andy said, quickly leaving the room. Seconds later, Karen came running into the room, immediately taking the sobbing girl into her arms. Lucas excused himself and walked into the living room, exchanging worried glances with Andy.

He picked up the phone and dialed Brooke's cell phone number. It rang and rang. "Come on, Brooke, pick up!" He said out loud.

"Hi, Broody!" Brooke's voice finally came onto the line.

"Brooke, where are you?" He said in a rush.

"I'm shopping with, Peyton why? Everything okay?" Brooke asked, getting a little worried.

"I don't know, something's wrong with Haley. She showed up to my house and she won't stop crying."

The minute Brooke heard Haley's name her heart skipped a beat. She was silent for a minute but finally said, "I'll be there as soon as I can."

Lucas shook his head and put the phone back on the receiver. He put his head in his hands, trying to figure out what would make Haley so upset. He knew tomorrow was the anniversary mass for her parents, but she was usually calm the night before.

Twenty minutes later, Karen came out of the room with a small smile on her face. She quietly shut the door after her and made her way over to her soon.

Lucas jumped up and ran to his mom. "Is she okay?"

Karen laughed and put her hands on his shoulders. "Relax, she's fine. It looks like Haley just experienced her first broken heart."

"Oh thank god," Lucas mumbled, falling back into the chair. Moments later, Brooke and Peyton came rushing through the door, both of them breathing heavily.

"Is, she, okay?" Brooke managed to get out between breaths. Peyton took a seat next to Andy and tried to catch her breath.

Karen smiled and nodded. "She's fine. I think she's feeling the pain from her first crush."

Brooke's hand immediately went to her heart. "Oh thank God. I thought something bad happened."

"She's sleeping right now, but I told her you would take her home when you got here."

Brooke nodded and gave Karen a hug. "Thank you so much, Karen. I don't know where I'd be without you." Karen nodded and gently rubbed Brooke's arm.

"Peyton, do you mind helping me get Haley home?" Brooke asked, opening the door to Lucas' room. Peyton shook her head and followed her in.

The two girls managed to get her home and into bed without waking her up. After Karen had told her what happened, she couldn't wait to go home and rip Taylor apart.

"Thanks, Peyt." Brooke said as she and Peyton pulled the covers over Haley.

"No problem. Are you going to be okay?" Peyton asked. Brooke nodded and gave her friend a hug. "I'll see you tomorrow," Peyton said, giving Brooke one last hug before leaving.

Brooke was about to shut off the light when she heard Haley stir.

"Brooke?" She whispered hoarsely.

"Yeah?" Brooke asked, making her way back to the bed.

"Thanks for coming to get me. I'm sorry I ruined your plans." Haley said shyly. Brooke shook her head and sat down on the bed.

"Haley, you didn't ruin our plans. I was so scared when Lucas called me, I was so afraid something happened to you."

Haley smiled and sat up next to her sister. "I'm sorry for over reacting like that, it's just that I guess I really like Christian and seeing Taylor kiss him like that made me really upset."

"Well knowing Taylor I'm sure she's the one to blame for it." Brooke said, laying her sister back down. "Night," she whispered, kissing her on top of the forehead.

"Brooke?" She heard Haley call out again.

"Yeah, baby?"

Haley pulled the blankets closer to her. "Will you stay with me tonight? I get kind of lonely."

Brooke smiled. "Sure, I'll be right back." She flicked off the light and made her way down to her room, bumping into to Taylor on the way.

"You're back early. Get anything good?" Taylor asked with a smile. Brooke wanted to wipe that smile right off her face, something she would of done if Haley wasn't waiting for her.

"You're fucking unbelievable you know that?" She spat, not bothering to look at Taylor's shocked face.

"What the hell are you talking about?" Taylor said, following Brooke into her room.

"Don't act all innocent, I know what you did. Lucas called me saying Haley showed up in tears because of something you did. You know, I don't get you sometimes, Tay." Brooke bitched, looking under her bed for something.

"It was just one kiss, I wanted to see if he really liked her." Taylor said, trying her best to defend herself. "It didn't mean anything."

"Yeah to you it might not of, but to Haley it did. She really likes Christian and now thanks to you her hearts been broken. She's already got enough pain to deal with, she doesn't need more." Brooke said, standing up with several pieces of paper in her hands. "She doesn't need this right now, especially tomorrow."

"Why, what's tomorrow?"

Brooke stared at her in disbelief. "You're not serious are you? What's tomorrow?" Brooke asked her. Taylor had no clue.

"April 16th?" She shrugged. What was so special about that date?

"Yeah," Brooke said, waiting for her answer. "And what's so special about that date?" Taylor shrugged and began to think. She really had no idea. Brooke shook her head in sadness. "You don't even know, do you?"

Taylor gave up and shook her head. Brooke sighed and went on. "Tomorrow is the 5th year anniversary of mom and dad's death."

Taylor closed her eyes and felt like a complete jerk. "Oh my god, I totally forgot."

Brooke let out a bitter laugh. "Of course you did, I wouldn't expect you to remember."

"What's that suppose to mean?" Taylor snapped. Who the hell was Brooke to tell her off like this?

"Whatever." Brooke mumbled, thrusting the pieces of paper into her hands. "Here, read those. I wrote those for you when you left and never came home for 2 years." She walked to the door and took one last look at her sister. "Now if you'll excuse me, my sister needs me." She said harshly, walking out of the room and up the hall.

Taylor sighed and sat on Brooke's bed. She rolled her eyes and began to read the songs Brooke had written for her.

_Can you save me  
Will you fail me now  
It's almost over cause you've faded out, again  
Will you break me  
When you're holding me down  
I will escape you and I'll_

_I'll push you closer to the ground  
Cause you're the one that's going down_

_And I am, stronger now  
Since you crawled away  
You're so far away  
And I am, stronger now  
Since you crawled away, since you crawled away_

_Never gonna save me  
You just shut me out  
And now it's over cause I'm stepping out, again  
Never gonna break me  
Just try and hold me down  
I will escape you and I'll_

_I'll push you closer to the ground  
Cause you're the one that's going down_

_And I am, stronger now  
Since you crawled away  
You're so far away  
And I am, stronger now  
Since you crawled away, since you crawled away_

_You want to tear me down  
You want to hold me down  
You can't control me now  
You cannot take me out  
You cannot save me now  
Because I'm stronger now_

_And I am, stronger now  
Since you crawled away  
You're so far away  
And I am, stronger now  
Since you crawled away, since you crawled away_

_You want to tear me down  
You want to hold me down  
You can't control me now  
You cannot take me out  
You cannot save me now  
Because I'm stronger now_

She rolled up the piece of paper into a ball and threw it into the barrel. She read over the next piece of paper and sighed.

_Something isn't right  
I can feel it again feel it again  
This isn't the first time  
That you left me waiting  
Sad excuses and false hopes high  
I saw this coming still I don't know why  
I let you in_

_I knew it all along  
You're so predictable  
I knew something would go wrong  
So you don't have to call  
Or say anything at all  
You're so predictable_

_So take your empty words your broken promises  
And all the time you stole cause I am done with this  
I can give it away give it away  
I'm doing everything I should've  
And now I'm making a change  
I'm living the day  
I'm giving back what you gave me  
I don't need anything_

_I knew it all along  
You're so predictable  
I knew something would go wrong  
So you don't have to call  
Or say anything at all  
You're so predictable _

_Everywhere I go  
Everyone I meet  
Every time I try to fall in love  
They all wanna know why I'm so broken  
Why am I so cold  
Why I'm so hard inside.  
Why am I scared  
What am I afraid of  
I don't even know  
This story's never had an end  
I've been waiting  
I've been searching  
I've been hoping  
I've been dreaming you would come back  
But I know the ending of this story  
You're never coming back  
Never..never..never..never..._

_I knew it all along  
You're so predictable  
I knew something would go wrong  
So you don't have to call  
Or say anything at all  
You're so predictable_

_Everywhere I go for the rest of my life  
Everyone that I love  
Everyone I care about  
They're all gonna wanna know what's wrong with me  
And I know what it is  
I'm ending this right now.._

She did the same, letting out a sigh and throwing it away. But the third and final piece of paper was what got her.

_Hey Taylor  
I'm writing to you  
not to tell you, that I still hate you  
just to ask you  
how you feel  
and how we fell apart  
how this fell apart _

are you happy out there in this great wide world?  
do you think about your brother?  
do you miss your little sisters?  
when you lay your head down  
how do you sleep at night?  
do you even wonder if we're all right?

but we're all right  
we're all right

it's been a long hard road without you by my side  
why weren't you there all the nights that we cried  
you broke my heart  
you broke your sister for life  
it's not ok,  
but we're all right  
I remember the days, you were a hero in my eyes  
but those are just a long lost memory of mine  
I spent so many years learning how to survive  
Now, I'm writing just to let you know I'm still alive

the days I spent so cold, so hungry  
were full of hate  
I was so angry  
the scars run deep inside this fragile body  
there's things I'll take, to my grave  
but I'm okay  
I'm okay

it's been a long hard road without you by my side  
why weren't you there all the nights that we cried  
you broke my heart  
you broke your sister for life  
it's not ok,  
but we're all right  
I remember the days, you were a hero in my eyes  
but those are just a long lost memory of mine  
Now, I'm writing just to let you know I'm still alive  
yeah, I'm still alive

sometimes  
I forgive  
yeah and this time  
I'll admit  
that I miss you, said I miss you

_it's been a long hard road without you by my side  
why weren't you there all the nights that we cried  
you broke my heart  
you broke your sister for life  
it's not ok,  
but we're all right  
I remember the days, you were a hero in my eyes  
but those are just a long lost memory of mine  
Now, I'm writing just to let you know I'm still alive  
yeah, I'm still alive_

_and sometimes  
I forgive  
and this time  
I'll admit, that I miss you, I miss you  
hey Taylor_

_

* * *

_

Well I hope that satisfied your Baley needs! The next chapter will probably be up by Sunday at the latest. Only because it will probably be an emotional chapter and when Brooke finally comes to terms with her parent's death. Well thanks for reading and reviewing!

Also, I know I said Taylor would change, but I never said for the better ;)

And incase you were wondering about the songs:

#1 Trustcompany-"Stronger"  
#2 Good Charlotte-"Predictable"  
#3 Good Charlotte-"Emotionless," with lyric changes.


	11. Someone's watching over me

I am, so so so so so sorry. I know I said Sunday and I do realize it's Wednesday. I didn't get a chance to start writing this until Monday. Well anyways, here it is. I really hope you like it. And to answer your questions:

**aquamarineangel-**Irish twins is the term used for siblings who are nine months apart. So Haley and Brooke aren't really twins, Haley is nine months younger then Brooke is.

**TutorGurl-**Don't worry, you didn't miss anything. It hasn't been revealed who hit Haley yet. Right now it's left out in the open as to who hit her. But it will be revealed soon.

* * *

_But things just get so crazy living life gets hard to do  
Sunday morning rain is falling and I'm calling out to you  
Singing someday it'll bring me back to you  
Find a way to bring myself back home to you_

April 16th, 2005. Perhaps the most dreaded day in the James household. This year it fell on a Sunday, a dark and rainy Sunday for that matter. The rain fell from the sky, falling hard on the cement pavement outside. Their mother used to tell them the rain meant that the angels were crying. But crying over what? It rained that night when their parents died, their 'tears,' took two innocent lives, leaving four children parentless.

Brooke sighed and slammed the alarm button off. She glanced at the clock and rolled her eyes when she saw it was only seven o'clock. The mass started at 9, she needed two hours to motivate herself to get up and get ready.

"Haley," Brooke began, gently shaking her sister, "time to get up."

Haley simply moaned and rolled over, shoving a pillow over her head. She wasn't ready to face this day, no one was. "Haley," Brooke groaned, pulling the pillow off her sister.

"If I sleep long enough, this day will be over," Haley replied a few minutes later, sitting up. "I don't want to go," She bit her lip and watched as Brooke bit her nail.

"Neither do I, but we have to. I don't think Mom and Dad would appreciate us missing their anniversary mass."

Haley sighed. She knew it was true. But going to this mass was going to make her worst nightmare a reality. Her parents have been gone for five years today, with no hope of ever returning. "I know," she mustered out with another small sigh.

"I'm going to get ready, do you want to shower first?" Brooke asked in a grim tone. Haley shook her head and motioned for her sister to go first.

"It's going to be okay," Brooke added in, pulling her sister into a small hug. Haley held her tight and quickly wiped away the stray tear that fell down her cheek. Brooke broke away from the embrace and headed out the door.

Once into the bathroom, she shut the door and stared at herself in the mirror. Her reflection seemed like nothing was wrong. There stood a beautiful, young woman with gorgeous brown hair and beautiful hazel eyes. The truth was she hid behind a mask, an ugly mask that made her seem so flawless and carefree. But she had flaws, many of them. She was superficial at times and a tad on the egotistical side. Call her a bitch if you want, but she'll just tell you she speaks the truth.

Her sister on the other hand was the polar opposite. She was shy, innocent, and naïve, a dreamer to put it lightly. Her face was always buried in a textbook and she earned karma points by tutoring other students. Her weekends consisted of studying and sitting in her room alone, questioning her existence in this crazy thing called the world.

Brooke shook her head, desperate to rid her head of these thoughts. She quickly turned the water on and watched as the steam filled the room, fogging up the mirror.

Knowing that she couldn't hide in the shower forever, she finally got out and was ready to face the day that lies ahead of her. She threw on her bathrobe and headed towards her room, showing no courtesy what so ever towards Taylor, who was fast asleep in her bed.

She rummaged through her closest in hopes of finding something appropriate to wear. She didn't think God would appreciate it at if she showed up to his house in a tiny low cut halter top and hip hugger jeans that barely fit around her small waist.

"What are you doing?" Taylor's sleepy voice came from behind the closet door.

Brooke continued to fish through her closet, ignoring her sister completely. Taylor watched as numerous articles of clothing flailed about the room, most of them finding their way onto the floor. "Brooke!" Taylor yelled, hoping to snap her sister out of this daze she was in.

"What?" Brooke bitched, her head appearing from behind the door.

"What are you doing?" Taylor simply asked, letting out a small laugh that made Brooke roll her eyes.

"I'm trying to find something to wear, what does it look like I'm doing?" Brooke snapped, her head disappearing into the closet again. Taylor sighed and walked over to her sister.

"Thanks for waking me up, I would of preferred a normal wake up, but thank you." Taylor's voice was sarcastic, but there was a hint of thankfulness to it.

"Whatever," Brooke mumbled, finally settling on something to wear. She took it off her closet and walked out, Taylor quickly behind her.

"Look, Brooke," She began, grabbing her sisters arm in an effort to stop her, "I'm sorry, okay? I went too far and made a complete ass out of myself. So I'm sorry."

Brooke looked at her sister and was silent for a minute. "I'm not the one you should be apologizing to." She whispered, walking away and into Haley's bedroom.

Taylor sighed. It was going to be a long day, a long day indeed. She saw Haley appear out of her room and practically run into the bathroom when she had caught a glimpse of her.

"Great," Taylor mumbled, going back into Brooke's room, collapsing on the bed. "I bet you're both enjoying this," She said, looking at the ceiling. "Your oldest daughter screwing up again. Too bad you're not here to witness it."

At exactly 9 o'clock the mass had gotten under way. Father Madden, who had done the funeral mass, stood at the altar and watched as the last few seats of the church filled. Everyone in Tree Hill knew Jimmy and Lydia James. Even if you were a stranger, they would always find someway to make you feel welcome in their house.

"We are gathered here today in remembrance of Mr. and Mrs. Jimmy James." Father Madden said, gently turning around to look at the picture that was hung up behind him. Brooke felt Haley's body tighten up beside her. She grabbed her hand and squeezed it lightly. She knew she was nervous about making her speech. Every year, each of them made a speech about their parents, except Taylor of course, she wasn't around much then.

After the priest finished his speech, he gestured for Haley to come up. She took a deep breath and pulled her hand away from Brooke's. She walked to the altar and peered out at the large crowd. She spotted Lucas sitting with Karen and Andy, Peyton sitting with her father and Jake, a couple cheerleaders from the squad and a few teachers from her school. She was shocked to see Nathan sitting there with his parents. She just figured they had made him come today.

She took a deep breath and steadied her hands so she could read the paper in front of her.

"Well, um, I just want to thank you all for coming today, it means a lot to us. I don't really have much to say; even if I did it wouldn't make sense to most of you. My parents, well my parents weren't saints." She started off with, the crowd let out a little laugh, which made Haley relax a bit. "Although they probably thought they were." She laughed a bit and took another deep breath. "All these years I've tried to come to terms with their death. For a while I blamed myself for their passing. I mean they were on their way to pick me up from piano lessons. But then I realized, and then I realized I had to stop blaming myself for this.

My sister said something that made me think. She told me the death of my parent's proves only the good die young. At first I couldn't quite grasp the concept of that quote. If only the good die young, why couldn't it of been me? I didn't even want to go to piano that day, I was too tired from school. But my parents had paid all this money for me to go and they weren't going to sit back and watch me give up on something that I loved. And then came the accident." Haley stopped to regain her train of thought, biting her lip in an effort to stop the tears that formed in her eyes. "Sorry...I think it would kill them to find out their youngest child has given up on piano lessons. I couldn't bring myself to go back there, I kept thinking anyone who would come and pick me up would end up dying.

I felt like I was cursed. I lost most of my friends that year my parent's died. I became a sob story and no one wanted to be around that, not even my own family." Haley continued to talk as Brooke felt tears stream down her eyes.

"_I became a sob story and no one wanted to be around that, not even my own family."_ It felt like a large truck had just hit her. She always assumed it was her fault for making Haley the way she was. Now the assumption became a reality, she's the one who had broken Haley in two, not her parents.

Brooke looked up and noticed Haley was sitting at the piano that was carefully placed on the red carpet up on the altar.

"Brooke," Taylor's voice snapped her back into reality. Brooke looked up at her with tear eyes. She was surprised to see Taylor crying. "Brooke, I'm sorry." Brooke nodded and simply fell into her sister's arms again. She rested her head on Taylor's chest and watched as Haley began to play-something she hadn't done in at least three years.

"I wrote this song for my parent's a while back. I hope you like it," Haley whispered, taking a deep breath.

_I Found myself today  
Oh I found myself and ran away  
Something pulled me back  
The voice of reason I forgot I had  
All I know is you're not here to say  
What you always used to say  
But it's written in the sky tonight_

People watched in awe as the young girl's voice went from a barely audible whisper to an amazing singing voice.

_So I won't give up  
No I won't break down  
Sooner than it seems life turns around  
And I will be strong  
Even if it all goes wrong  
When I'm standing in the dark I'll still believe  
Someone's watching over me_

_Seen that ray of light  
And it's shining on my destiny  
Shining all the time  
And I wont be afraid  
To follow everywhere it's taking me  
All I know is yesterday is gone  
And right now I belong  
To this moment to my dreams_

_So I won't give up  
No I won't break down  
Sooner than it seems life turns around  
And I will be strong  
Even if it all goes wrong  
When I'm standing in the dark I'll still believe  
Someone's watching over me_

_It doesn't matter what people say  
And it doesn't matter how long it takes  
Believe in yourself and you'll fly high  
And it only matters how true you are  
Be true to yourself and follow your heart_

_So I won't give up  
No I won't break down  
Sooner than it seems life turns around  
And I will be strong  
Even if it all goes wrong  
When I'm standing in the dark I'll still believe  
That I won't give up  
No I won't break down  
Sooner than it seems life turns around  
And I will be strong  
Even when it all goes wrong  
When I'm standing in the dark I'll still believe  
That someone's watching over  
Someone's watching over  
Someone's watching over me_

As the last line of the song approached, Haley closed her eyes and raised her head towards the ceiling. Taking her hands off the piano keys, she whispered into the microphone:

_Someone's watching over me._

A small smile crept upon her face as the watched the people get up out of their seats and clap. Even Nathan Scott and his dumb friend Tim Smith were taking aback. Haley smiled and went back to the front pew and sat down next to Brooke.

"That was amazing, Haley," Brooke said as they walked out of the church.

"Thank you," Haley whispered, linking arms with her sister. Various people from behind them came up to comment Haley.

"Your parent's would be proud, I know I am," Karen said, giving Haley a hug. Lucas was next. He practically smothered Haley as his big arms wrapped around her tiny body.

"Don't kill her Broody!" Brooke commented, prying Haley away from Lucas' arms. He laughed and did the same to her, she squealed in delight. Haley stepped away from the two lovebirds and walked over to her brother, who was currently talking to Father Madden.

He smiled when he saw her. "Haley, that was absolutely wonderful." Father Madden said with a smile. "You should be proud of yourself." He excused himself and walked over to some of the other guests.

"I never knew you could sing, Haley." Mike exclaimed, giving his sister a hug.

Haley shrugged. "I don't usually sing in public or to other people. But I felt like this was different, like they were watching."

Mike smiled. "I bet they were," He said, gently rubbing her arm.

_J.J.+L.J._

_You'll be forever in our hearts_

Brooke felt her stomach turn as she stared at the gray headstone in front of her. It had been five years ago to this day since she last visited. She always watched as Haley went with her brother after the previous year anniversary masses, but she always stayed home, she couldn't find the strength to go. But this year, this year it was different. This year Haley and her brother stayed home while she went all by herself. She didn't care though. She would rather be there alone, it would be easier to get it all off her chest without anyone there.

She gently kneeled down In front of the headstone and sighed. She ran her thumb over the inscripted letters and frowned at the cheesy poem below their initials. It wasn't much, but it was all they could afford at the time.

"Hi, it's me, Brooke," she started off with in a shaky voice. "I, I know I haven't been here in a while and I'm so sorry. I just couldn't bring myself to come. But, before I start, I wanted to read something I wrote for you a few days after you died."

Brooke fished through her denim jacket and took out a neatly folded white piece of paper. Her hands shook as she started to read the lyrics:

_Seems like just yesterday  
You were a part of me  
I used to stand so tall  
I used to be so strong  
Your arms around me tight  
Everything, it felt so right  
Unbreakable, like nothing' could go wrong  
Now I can't breathe  
No, I can't sleep  
I'm barely hanging on_

_Here I am, once again  
I'm torn into pieces  
Can't deny it, can't pretend  
Broken up, deep inside  
But you won't get to see the tears I cry  
Behind these hazel eyes_

The tears poured down her cheeks as she continued to read, her body trembling.

_Swallow me then spit me out  
for hating you, I blame myself  
No, I don't cry on the outside  
Anymore..._

"I never meant to hate you," She sobbed, resting her head on her knees, "I never meant to say that to you before you left. I was, I was just mad. And I know I said I never wanted to talk to you again and that I wanted you out of my life. It was all bullshit, all bullshit. I hated the fact you could find a way for Haley to have piano lessons but you couldn't find a way to buy me new clothes. I know money was tight with Mike being in college, but I wanted a few new clothes. I was sick of wearing Taylor's hand me downs.

And now, now that I look back on it, I hate myself for doing this to you even. I know I was a handful and that I probably screwed up your lives for a while, but I never, ever meant to cause you any pain. I never meant for Taylor to run away like she did. But it was my fault she left, all my fault. I drove her away with my complete bitterness. Mike barely speaks to me anymore, and when he does he's seeing what's happened with Haley or how Lucas is doing. Lucas. You remember Lucas, don't you?

We've been dating for about a year now. And I'm afraid if I keep going the way I am, I'll lose him too, and I can't afford to lose another person. And Haley. God, Haley is so broken. I never meant to hurt her either. But, she's broken inside without you here. She's like a porcelain doll; if you touch her she's bound to break. She's having a lot of problems and she won't talk to me about any of them. I know someone is beating her up, but I don't know who it is. Sad, isn't it? I'm supposed to be her big sister and protect her. Jesus Christ, I can't even do that.

It tears me apart when I hear her cry herself to sleep every night. Most nights she can't even sleep on her own, she needs someone there to comfort here after she's had some horrible dream about your accident."

At this point, Brooke had cried herself out. She was sick of crying over people who would never be coming back. Without even thinking, she took her hand and slightly hit the gravestone.

"Why did you have to die? Huh? You left us all alone, with barely any money to make it for a while. Mike almost had to drop out of school to make the mortgage on our house. Taylor, well who the fuck knows where Taylor went. And who gives a shit. She's running from something, and I'm going to find out. I'm going to find out who hit Haley and kill them with my bare hands. And I'm going to stop pretending it's okay you're gone. Because it's not. You left me all alone here, with no one to blame but myself. Haley blames herself for your death. And who knows, maybe it is her fault. But I will never let her know that.

No, you know what? It's not anyone's fault except yourself. You forced Haley to go to piano that day even though you were advised to stay indoors. Are you two stupid? I guess so... Well anyways I never meant for this to be a bitch session. I wanted to tell you how much I miss you but if I do that then I'll end up bawling my eyes out, and the last thing I want to do is cry. So have a nice afterlife, and I'll see you soon someday."

Brooke ended on a bitter tone, but she didn't care. She was too broken inside to cry. She bit her lip in an effort to stop the tears from flowing down her cheeks.

"Brooke, is that you?" Came Haley's surprised voice from behind her. Brooke quickly wiped her eyes and put her hands over her face as Haley shined the flashlight on her.

"You caught me," Haley rolled her eyes at Brooke's sarcastic tone. She wrapped the blanket she had on her tighter.

"What are you doing here?'

Brooke shrugged and bit her lip. "Uh, I just came-,"

"To talk to them?" Haley said, finishing her sentence. Brooke nodded and sat down, Haley soon following suite. "I do that too."

"How did you know I was here?" Brooke asked as Haley rested her head on her shoulder.

"Because I'm a crazed stalker." Haley replied in a mock-serious tone. Brooke rolled her eyes.

"Haley, I'm serious."

"Honestly? I didn't know you were going to be here. I just came here on my own, thinking I'd be the only one here. No one really comes to visit them except for me. I know they're dead and everything, but they can get lonely too. You see that woman over there?" Haley said, pointing to an elderly woman who was placing flowers on a headstone across the graveyard. "She comes here everyday around the same time I do. Sometimes she leaves flowers for Mom and Dad. Her son died in a car accident thirty years ago, yet his memory still lives on through her. So that's why I come here just about everyday because I don't want them to be forgotten."

Brooke smiled at her sister and rested her head on top of Haley's. "You're amazing, you know that?"

Haley smiled. "Thanks, Brooke. You're not too bad yourself."

Brooke laughed, but remained silent for a few minutes.

"Hales, I'm sorry."

Haley looked up at her in confusion. "For what?"

Brooke shrugged and looked away. "For not being there for you when you need it? For letting my 'friends' make fun of you. For making up the nickname tutor girl." She could go on, but Haley had stopped her.

"Brooke, you don't need to worry about that. Although it may not look it, I am a strong person, I'm just not good with controlling my emotions like you. If anything, I should be apologizing to you. I know I can be annoying at sometimes, and a pain in the ass, but I'm not going to apologize for that one, it's comes with being your little sister."

Brooke laughed and pulled Haley into a hug. And they didn't know it, but the sun broke free from the dark clouds, a symbol that their parents were watching.

* * *

Well I hope you liked it. Thanks for the reviews, I really appreciate them. 

Song Haley sang: Hilary Duff-'Someone's watching over me'  
Song Brooke 'wrote' for her parents: Kelly Clarkson-'Behind these hazel eyes'


	12. Confessions of a Broken Heart

Again, I am so so so sorry it took so long. I had a huge ass paper due yesterday and most of my time was devoted to that for the past week. Anyways, this chapter is really long, it's the least I could do for making you wait. The good news is, spring break is here and school is almost over, so that means I'll have more frequent updates. And thank you guys for reading and reviewing.

* * *

"Well, how nice of you two to finally show up," Claire bitched as she spotted Brooke and Peyton walking into the gym, pompoms in hand.

Brooke looked at Claire in confusion. "What are you talking about?" She looked at Peyton, who shrugged and looked back at Claire.

"You know what I'm talking about. Practice yesterday? Would have been nice if you two showed up." Claire sneered. A few cheerleaders behind her nodded their heads in disapproval.

"Claire, there's no practice on weekends."

"There was yesterday. It was a CAPTAINS practice. You would think the CAPTAIN would show up."

Brooke shook her head and rolled her eyes. "Not that its any of your business," She snapped, "but my parent's anniversary mass was yesterday. I wouldn't have been able to make it anyways."

Theresa appeared from behind Claire and crossed her arms. "I went to the mass and I still made it to practice." Claire smirked and Peyton looked shocked. Theresa was not one to speak up like that. She practically worshipped Brooke.

"Whoa, first of all, you better back up before I kick your tanorexic little ass," Brooke fumed, "second of all, I had other things to do yesterday with my sister, third of all, who the hell do you think you are to say that to me?"

"Excuses, excuses," Theresa mumbled under her breath. Peyton grabbed on to Brooke's arm incase she made any sudden moves.

"Whatever," Brooke mumbled, "let's just start." Peyton glared at Theresa as she followed Brooke over to the bleachers. Claire snickered and the rest of the girls followed her to the other side of the gym.

"Nathan," Haley groaned, desperately trying to teach Nathan about FOIL. "For the last time, it's first, outside, inside, last. It's not rocket science!" She really didn't care if she was being bitchy, the last thing she wanted to do was tutor Nathan Scott.

Nathan threw his hands up in frustration. "You're supposed to be encouraging me, Little Brooke, not making me feel stupid."

Haley pulled her hair and bit her lip in her own frustration. "For the last time my name is Haley. And I know you get this stuff, I've seen you do the problems."

"Whatever you say Little Brooke, whatever you say." Nathan said, leaning back in his chair, grinning. Haley groaned and threw the pencil down on the table. She grabbed her backpack and started for the door. "Where do you think you're going? We're not done until 4:15."

"Well I say we're done now. Find yourself another tutor." Haley spat. She was almost at the door when Principal Turner stopped her.

"Is there a problem here? I heard you two yelling from down the hall."

Haley glared at Nathan, who simply shrugged. "Uh, no sir. I was just leaving."

"She yelled at me because I got the problem wrong." Nathan said in sad tone. Haley's mouth fell open at his lie. Principal Turner turned around and shook his head at her.

"Is that true Haley? If it is, I'm very disappointed to hear that."

"Can I talk to you outside please?" Haley asked, stepping out of the room and shutting the door. "Look, Principal Turner, I can't tutor him. It's just impossible. He's an arrogant, mean person and I just can't be around someone like him."

Principal Turner sighed and scratched his head. "Well, Haley, he needs to pull up his math grade in order to play basketball. Now, I know you don't like him, but give him a chance, I think you'll grow to like him."

"But-"

"Give him a chance, Haley," He repeated more firmly. Haley sighed and nodded. There wasn't much more she could do. Turner loved and worshiped the ground Nathan Scott walked on. She watched as he made his way down the hall, picking up a stray piece of trash on the floor.

"Looks like I'm here to stay," Nathan said evilly from behind Haley. She shuddered and pushed him back into the room. "You know, we could skip the tutoring session and go straight to the bed."

Haley rolled her eyes in disgust. "I'm not sleeping with you."

Nathan shook his head and looked at her. "Little Brooke, when are you going to stop denying your feelings for me? I mean come on, we're two attractive young people alone in an empty classroom. Don't make me use sex as a weapon."

"Look, Nathan, you need to get it out of your mind that I'm going to sleep with you. I would rather die then give you my virginity. You're nothing but an arrogant, son of a bitch who only passes class because he's the star basketball player."

Nathan began to breathe heavier. He knew he only passed his classes because he could help the ravens win the championship title, but this was the first time someone had ever said that to him. He worked hard sometimes to prove that he was more then just a dumb jock, but somehow it always ended up going back to that. He listened as she went on about him.

"And who do you think you are? Strolling in here expecting me to drop everything just because you need to be tutored. Why me? I mean why all of a sudden are you talking to me? I've known you for at least 10 years and you've always ignored me before. Why now? I know how you used to make be embarrassed by me. If you're so embarrassed then why are you here with me? Are you like, being paid to be seen with me?"

Nathan quickly shook his head and laughed nervously. "No. Why would someone pay me to hang out with you?"

"I'm not that stupid, Nathan. I've seen She's All that. You come here to see if you can sweep me off my feet while someone pays you money. Then I find out and you confess it wasn't for the money and that you really truly love me. You're going to have to come up with something better then that." Haley said, crossing her arms.

"Well what do you want me to say?" Nathan asked in confusion. He was probably the worst liar in the world, but somehow that wasn't stopping him.

"Why don't you tell her the truth?" Christian's voice came from behind them, "Go ahead Nathan, let's see you talk your way out of this one." Nathan glared and watched as Christian came and sat down next to Haley.

"Excuse me, but this is a private tutoring session," Nathan spat, clenching and unclenching his fists.

"I'm sure Haley doesn't mind me being here, do you Haley?" Christian asked in a firm tone. Haley had never seen this side of him; he was acting just like Nathan; cocky and arrogant.

Haley shifted in her seat and shook her head. Christian smiled in triumph and watched as Nathan sent him another glare.

"Well, we're waiting," Christian said, breaking the silence that filled the room. Haley looked at Nathan, who was currently staring out the window, desperately trying to think of something to say.

"Nathan?" She whispered, walking over to him. "Nathan, just tell me the truth."

Nathan gently punched the wall and cursed. "Fine it's true. Are you happy? Claire paid me to keep you away from her asshole of a brother." Christian got up from his chair and walked over to Nathan, staring him down.

Haley bit her lip, trying to stop the tears from spilling down her cheek. She felt silly, she knew there was a catch as to why Nathan was all of a sudden paying attention to her, but something about the situation made her feel bad about herself. Did people really need to be paid to be around her? But she wasn't going to let this asshole bring her down. He wasn't worth crying over.

"Did she pay you to almost rape me too?" Haley shuddered when she saw the smirk appear on Nathan's face.

"No. I threw that one in for free."

Seconds later, Christian's fist connected with his face, knocking him over and onto the floor. Nathan jumped back up in an instant and pushed him into the wall.

"Who the fuck do you think you are?" Nathan yelled as Christian tried to wriggle out of his grip. Haley stood frozen in the corner, these guys were well over 6 feet and there was no way she could possibly stop them from tearing each other apart.

"Who the fuck do you think you are, huh?" Nathan said again, digging his fingernails deeper into Christian's broad shoulders. "Answer the fucking question! At least I didn't punch the girl in the face!"

Christian finally found his strength and pushed Nathan off of him. "That's fucking bullshit, I wouldn't lay a hand on her."

Nathan laughed as if it was the funniest thing he's ever heard. "That's not what Claire said."

"Yeah well Claire's a fucking liar. Why don't you get your facts straight." Christian bitched. His breathing was heavier then usual and Haley was staring to get scared.

"Guys, seriously, stop. It doesn't matter who hit me, okay?" Haley said, trying to reason with the out of control teenagers.

"Wow, you've got her brain washed too, huh? I know what you've done, Christian. You can't hide it anymore. Claire told me all about your violent past. Let's see you've been locked up 3 times in the past 4 years? Every time someone would reject you, you would go and kick their ass. Pretty sad if you ask me." Nathan took one last swing at Christian before storming out, Haley right behind him.

"You're an asshole, you know that Nathan?" She said, turning Nathan around so he could see her face.

Nathan shrugged. "I don't care what you think, Little Brooke. Hate me all you want, it won't phase me. But you know what I don't get? How the smartest girl in school can fall for the biggest asshole on the planet. Even I wouldn't go as far as hitting a girl."

Haley closed her eyes and bit her lip. "He didn't mean to," She whispered in a shaky voice. "He, he was having a bad day and I upset him. It's all my fault."

Nathan put his hand on her shoulder and hugged her as she started to cry. Haley felt uncomfortable as his big arms surrounded her small body. She tried to pull back, but he wasn't having it.

"Nathan," She said in an attempt to breakaway, "let me go." He simply gripped her tighter and started to pull her into a classroom.

"No!" She screamed, kicking him in the shin. He yelled out in pain and let her go as he held his injured shin. Without even thinking, she took off down the hall, just missing his stretched out hand.

Once she was out of his sight, she stopped to catch her breath. She glanced down at her the new bruises on her wrist, they were small, but a shade of blue and purple. She pulled her long sleeves over them and started to walk away with her head down, watching as the tears slipped off her face.

Mouth was walking down the hall, occasionally staring at the lockers against the wall. As he rounded the corner, he heard his name being called and turned around. Just as he turned around, Haley came around the corner, knocking right into him.

"Haley, I'm so sorry!" He said nervously, helping her up. She wiped her eyes and smiled.

"Don't worry about it, Mouth. I wasn't really paying attention."

"Are you okay?" He asked, noticing Haley's puffy eyes. She quickly nodded.

"Yeah, I'm fine."

"Haley, you don't look fine." Mouth protested, putting a hand on her shoulder. She flinched and pulled back from him. "Sorry," he mumbled, putting his hands in his pocket.

"It's fine," She whispered, starting to walk away. Mouth followed her and stepped in front of her,

"Haley, did something happen? You're starting to make me nervous."

Haley wiped away the tear that fell down her cheek. She couldn't avoid this any longer.

"Can, can you just help me find Brooke?"

Mouth nodded. "She's in the gym, come on." He held out his hand and she reluctantly took it, in hopes of him leading her to safety. Once they got to the gym, Mouth pushed the doors open, causing ten cheerleaders to turn around. Haley waited outside and watched as he disappeared into the gym, the door slamming behind him.

"Excuse me! This is a PRIVATE practice." Claire bitched, storming up to Mouth as he entered the gym.

Brooke rolled her eyes and walked up behind her. "Don't have a heart attack Claire, it's okay." Claire walked away in huff-which made Mouth and Brooke laugh. "What's up, lips?"

Mouth smiled. He loved when Brooke called him that. "Do you have a second?"

Brooke made a face and glanced at the waiting cheerleaders behind her. "Um, can it wait until after practice? We need to get this routine down before the classic next week."

Mouth sighed. It could probably wait, but the voice inside his head was telling him it couldn't. Brooke took the silence as a yes and started to walk away. "Brooke, it's about Haley."

Brooke turned around on one heel, her heart skipping a beat. "Is she okay?"

"I don't know exactly." He said with a shrug and sympathetic look on his face.

"Okay," Brooke whispered turning back to the squad, "take 5 everyone," she yelled out, turning back to Mouth. "Where is she?"

Mouth pointed to the door. "She's outside."

Brooke quickly ran to the door, Mouth shortly behind her. She flung the door open and looked to her right and saw no one there. She looked around the deserted hallway and looked back at Mouth.

"I don't see her," she said in confusion, "Mouth, is this some sort of diversion to get me out of practice so Claire can convince the other girls I'm a horrible person?"

Mouth shook his head. "No, Brooke I swear. I accidentally bumped into her and she was really upset about something."

Brooke shrugged. "Maybe she's just having a stressful day. Some of those kids she tutors are as dumb as a door nail," she said with a laugh. Mouth smiled sadly.

"I don't think so, I think something happened to her."

Brooke felt nervous now. "Oh, okay. Will you help me look for her?" Mouth nodded as they started to walk down the hall. "She can't be far."

The two walked up the stairs and past the tutoring center, passing Nathan on the way.

"Hey Brooke," He said with a wave. Brooke smiled and waved back, not thinking to ask him if he had seen Haley.

"Oh, hey, Nathan? Have you seen my sister?"

Nathan turned around, wiping the smile off his face. "Yeah I did a little while ago. She was near the English room." Brooke smiled and thanked him. He nodded and started to walk in the opposite direction of them.

"I don't think she's here," Brooke said, sounding defeated. "We've checked everywhere, lips! I really hope she's okay."

"We'll find her Brooke, don't worry." Mouth said in a comforting tone. Brooke smiled and nodded, following him down the hall.

"Do you hear that?" She said, stopping in front of an empty classroom.

Mouth shook his head in confusion. "Hear what?"

"Ssh!" Brooke hissed, trying to make out what the noise was. She followed the small sobs into the classroom and found Haley sitting in a desk, her head down on the table. Her heart sank as she listened to her sister.

"I'm going to go," Mouth whispered, bringing Brooke back to reality. She nodded and gave him a hug, silently thanking him.

"Could you do me a favor?" She said as low as possible, "could you tell the squad just to go one without me? Oh, and tell Peyton we'll meet her outside by her car."

Mouth nodded and Brooke thanked him one more time before he left the room.

"Haley, what's wrong?" Brooke squeaked, walking over to the desk and putting her hand on Haley's back.

Haley jumped up in shock. "Don't touch me!" She yelled out without realizing who it was.

Brooke was a little taken aback. "Sorry," she said, kneeling down.

"Brooke?" Haley said once she realized who it was. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to snap at you." She sniffed, pulling her sleeves down further so Brooke couldn't see the bruises.

Brooke smiled and nodded. "Don't worry about it. What's wrong?" Haley simply shrugged and wiped her eyes. "Did something happen at tutoring?" Haley nodded and started to cry again, making Brooke one-step closer towards her answer.

"It was horrible," Haley choked out, avoiding her sister's scared look.

"Oh, honey," Brooke mumbled, standing up. She gently wrapped her arms around Haley and listened to Haley's muffled sobs as she buried her head into Brooke's shoulder. "Do you want to tell me what happened?" She said as gentle as possible.

"Can we just go home?" Haley asked trying to change the subject as fast as she could. Brooke sighed and looked at the clock. It was 3:45 and practice ended at 4:15. There was no way Claire would let her end it early.

"I wish we could, but I have practice for another half an hour and Peyton is going to give us a ride home. And I don't want you going home when you're in this state."

Haley wiped her eyes with her sleeve and nodded. "Okay. Can, can I just watch you practice then? You won't even know I'm there, I promise."

Brooke smiled and took Haley by the hand, gently helping her up from the desk. "You can watch the basketball team stretch, that should make you feel better!"

Haley shuddered at the thought of the basketball team. Nathan was on the basketball team. He would be right there, watching her. They walked down the deserted hallway, passing a few students on the way.

And there he was. Brooke felt Haley's grip get tighter as Nathan approached them, decked out in his uniform.

"What are you still doing here?" He asked Haley, who leaned closer to Brooke and turned away.

"Just go," Haley whispered quickly, nudging Brooke with her hip. And before she knew it, Brooke had let her go and ran over to Lucas.

"Did I make you cry?" Nathan spat sarcastically, "you poor baby." He tried to stroke Haley's hair but she quickly swatted it away with her hand. Haley quickly glanced at Brooke; she was in a full make out session with Lucas.

"Um, Brooke?" She called out, "don't you have to get back to practice." Brooke broke away from Lucas and nodded. Haley let out a sigh of relief and quickly ran back over to her, grabbing her hand in the process.

Lucas noticed Nathan's glare towards Haley and quickly picked up on the tension.

"Something wrong, bro?" He asked, walking over to Nathan. Nathan shook his head and shrugged.

"Nope. Just wondering why Little Brooke is so touchy feely with Big Brooke."

Lucas looked at him angrily. "Little Brooke? Big Brooke? First of all, their names are Haley and Brooke; second of all, do you have idea what those two have been through? What their family has been through? And that bruise on your face, where the hell did you get that?"

Nathan rolled his eyes and shrugged. "I got into a little _mishap_ with that Christian kid. No big deal."

Lucas shook his head and shoved the basketball he was holding into Nathan's chest. "Whatever, man, whatever."

"So, are you up for coming over?" Peyton asked Brooke as they walked out of the gym, Haley a few feet in front of them.

Brooke looked at Haley and shrugged. "I don't think so, P. Sawyer. I think something happened with Haley and I don't really think she should be alone."

"Haley could come too, come on, Brooke. It'll be fun, it will take your mind off Claire's fabulous new routine!" Peyton said sarcastically and laughed as Brooke let out a huge groan.

"Ah, don't even get me started on that! Who told her spirit fingers were back in?" Peyton laughed and unlocked the doors to her car.

"So B. James, my house or not?" Peyton asked again, getting into the car.

"I don't know, it's up to H. James." Brooke said buckling her seatbelt. Haley rolled her eyes in the back. H. James? These cheerleaders came up with very original nicknames.

"Doesn't bother me," Haley replied in a happy tone. She couldn't remember the last time she hung out with Peyton and Brooke. Plus, it was something to take her mind off of Nathan.

"Well of to Casa de Sawyer then!" Haley made a face as the two girls in front squealed. Maybe this wasn't a good idea after all.

The car ride to Peyton's house was generally a quiet one. Brooke occasionally flipped through the radio stations, which made Peyton a little angry.

"Tutor girl, you're a little quiet, what's up?" Brooke asked from the front, turning back to look at her sister.

"Peyton," Haley said, completely ignoring Brooke, "Can I ask you a question? About Nathan?"

"Sure."

"When you were with him, did he, did he ever try and hurt you?" Haley asked shyly, she turned away as Brooke sent a glare her way.

"Haley!" Brooke yelled out in shock, "why would you ever ask a question like that?"

"Chill Brooke, it's okay." Peyton said with a little laugh to ease the tension. "He did once." No use hiding it anymore. She wasn't exactly sure where Haley was going with this, but she started to put two and two together and figured it out for herself. Brooke's eyes widened, she never knew Nathan had hurt Peyton. Sure they weren't Ward and June Cleaver, but they seemed pretty happy most of the time. Peyton pulled over to the side of the road and took a deep breath. "When we were like 14 or 15 he wanted to have sex. I didn't really want to at the time, but he insisted I wouldn't regret it. But I kept saying no, until one day he eventually forced it upon me."

"P. Sawyer you never told me that!" Brooke said putting her hand on her friend's shoulder.

Peyton shrugged like it was no big deal. "Don't worry about it. I managed to get him off of me before he went too far."

"What happened?" Brooke asked in concern.

"Well my dad called the cops on him and they issued him a warning. They put him on probation and if he tries to do it again to anyone then he'll be thrown in jail."

"Good thing that hasn't happened again." Brooke said with relief. Peyton nodded and looked at Haley in the rearview mirror. "Is that, Hales?"

Haley quickly nodded and stared out the window. If she had the strength to tell someone then the bastard known as Nathan Scott would be thrown in jail and she would never have to watch her back again.

"Haley, are you sure you're okay?" Brooke asked once again. Haley nodded and went back to staring out the window. Brooke knew something was up, but she decided it was best to ask her once they got home. Right now she had to make sure Peyton was okay. "Are you okay, Peyton?"

Peyton nodded too and pulled into her driveway. "Don't worry, Brooke. I'm fine. It's all in the past and I've forgotten about it. You should too," she said with a reassuring smile.

"Let's watch Sex and the City!" Brooke squealed in delight, flipping on the TV in Peyton's living room. Peyton and Haley looked at each other and shook their heads.

"Let's not," Peyton mumbled, snatching the remote out of Brooke's hand. Brooke made a face and stood up.

"Fine. You two can sit there and watch your broody little show while listening to your horrible emu music."

Peyton burst out laughing, as did Haley. "Brooke, it's **emo**, not emu." Brooke rolled her eyes and shrugged.

"Potato, pahtato." Brooke protested, crossing her arms. "You two have your little emo fest and brood, I'm going to take a shower and rid myself of this gross sweat." She flipped her hair as she turned around and skipped up the stairs.

Haley and Peyton sat in a somewhat awkward silence once Brooke left. They occasionally smiled at each other when they caught each other's glances.

"Have a nice practice?" Haley asked, finally breaking the silence. Peyton nodded and shrugged.

"Claire's a bit of a control freak, but other than that it was okay. Have a nice tutoring session?"

Haley nodded and shrugged too. "Yeah, it was fine. I'm tutoring Nathan Scott, fun, fun fun." Peyton laughed and gave Haley a sympathetic look. "He's a bit of an asshole," she whispered shyly, afraid of what Peyton was going to say.

"Yeah, he gets it from Daddy Dan. If he's really bothering you just bring up his dad, that'll shut him up." Haley nodded and walked over to Peyton's CD rack. It consisted of bands she's never heard of. Brand New, My Chemical Romance, The Starting Line, and Glassjaw. Haley yawned and stretched her arms out, causing her shirt to ride up and expose the bruise she had stretched out across her lower abdomen. Peyton took note of it and looked shock. Haley caught Peyton's look and quickly pulled her shirt down.

"I walked into the wall, what a klutz," Haley said with a smile. Peyton still looked in awe of the bruise that covered most of her abdomen. She shook her head and went back to reality.

"Yeah," was all she could come up with. She wondered if Brooke knew about that. Probably not. "Haley, that's a pretty big bruise, are you sure you walked into a wall?"

Haley looked a little taken aback. She couldn't believe Peyton was questioning her. "Yeah, why?" Her voice was a little cold, but she really didn't care.

Peyton shrugged and fiddled with her hands. "It's just that, I know you got into a little mishap with someone and I just thought it was the same person."

"No, it wasn't, Claire."

"Claire?" Peyton was confused. Brooke told her Claire didn't do anything. Unless Brooke didn't tell Haley what Claire said. "Brooke told me Claire didn't do it." She immediately regretted it when she saw the look on Haley's face.

"What?" Haley said in shock. "She told me everything went okay with Claire and I didn't need to worry."

"Haley, when Brooke confronted Claire, she denied it."

"So it doesn't mean she didn't do it!" Haley cried out in frustration. "Are you implying I'm some sort of liar?"

Peyton got up off the couch and shook her head. "No, no, Haley. I'm just saying what Brooke told me." Haley rolled her eyes and headed for the door.

"Whatever," She mumbled while opening the door. Peyton ran over to her and stopped her.

"Haley, you're not leaving until you tell me what happened." Peyton said, looking Haley in the eye.

"You're not my mother, Peyton. Cut the crap, you never cared before, why should you now?" Haley pushed past Peyton, but Peyton acted fast and grabbed her wrist. Haley winched and yelped.

"Haley? What's wrong?" Peyton asked concerned. She watched as Haley bit her lip and tilted her head back, trying to stop her tears from spilling over.

"It's nothing, I'm fine," Haley said, crossing her arms over her chest. Peyton looked at her and shook her head.

"Haley, what happened to your wrist?" She asked, pulling Haley's arm back down. She rolled up her sleeve and nearly gasped at the sight of it; two bruises right next to each other on her inner wrist. She rolled up the other sleeve and saw the same. "Haley, what the hell happened to you?"

Haley gnawed at her lip some more, trying to think of a lie. "It's nothing."

"Nothing?" Peyton exploded; she could be heard through the whole house. "Haley, you have bruises on both of your wrists, on your face, on your stomach, who did this to you?"

Haley pulled her arms back and rested them on her thighs. "I told you, it was Claire."

Now Peyton was getting frustrated. "It wasn't Claire, Haley and you know it." And then suddenly it clicked. It was Nathan. That's why she was asking her all those questions about him. "It was Nathan wasn't it?"

Haley sighed; she was trapped and couldn't get out. "Yes and no."

"Yes and no? What do you mean yes and no?" Peyton was getting agitated with Haley's excuses.

"The ones on the wrist are from him, the other ones, the others ones are from Christian." Haley whispered, looking down at her feet. Peyton's heart skipped a beat.

"The new guy? I thought you two were friends?" Peyton asked, putting her hand on Haley's shoulder.

"We were," Haley said, looking up at the blonde, "but then one day he got a little angry and a little violent. I said the wrong thing to him and then he, he hit me. He promised he wouldn't do it again, but every time I upset him, he got violent again." Peyton was speechless. Haley already had a hard life, she didn't need more on her plate. She pulled her into a hug and gently stroked her hair.

"Haley, we need to tell Brooke," Peyton whispered, causing Haley to immediately pull back.

"No, Peyton, please you can't tell her." Haley said quickly, "please, Peyton, she doesn't need to know. I can handle it by myself."

"Okay, okay," Peyton said, trying to calm her down. Haley nodded and thanked her. That was Christian's story, what was Nathan's? "what happened with, Nathan?" Peyton asked, somewhat out of the blue. That was the one thing Haley was dreading. Yet again she was trapped and she couldn't get out of it.

"Nathan did something else, something that he did to you," Haley choked out, breaking down into tears. Peyton's eyes watered at the thought of Nathan trying to rape her.

"He didn't, did he?" Peyton asked, scared. Haley shook her head and sank to the floor, burying her head into her knees. "Oh, Haley, I'm so sorry." Peyton whispered, sitting next to Haley and hugging her.

"Then he tried to do it today. He tried pulling me into a classroom but I got away just in time. I'm scared he's really going to do it, Peyton."

"He won't, because you know why, Haley? We're going to get him. This is it, he's at a dead end now."

Brooke happily skipped down the stairs, minutes later, wearing what she had on at least an hour ago.

Peyton quickly wiped her eyes and stood up. "Brooke," she laughed, "I thought you were taking a shower?"

"Well I was, but then Lucas called and we got to talking about this weekend." Brooke said in her usual perky tone. "Were you two crying?" She asked Peyton and Haley, who had now relocated to the couch. She flopped down in between them and turned to them.

Peyton laughed and shook her head. "Uh, yeah. We were watching a walk to remember, and you know how it gets me every time. Right Haley?"

"Right," Haley quickly said, trying to cover up her nasal voice. Brooke burst out laughing at the thought of Peyton crying at a movie. Peyton rolled her eyes and gently pushed Brooke.

"I'm sorry! Just the thought of you crying over a Mandy Moore movie is hilarious." Brooke let out one last laugh and turned to Haley with a smile on her face. "Tutor girl! You won't believe what Lucas said." Haley raised her eyebrows; she didn't even want to guess what Brooke was talking about.

"Brooke, I really don't care." She said tiredly. All she wanted to do was go home and go to bed, sure it was 5 in the afternoon, but she didn't care. "Can't we just go home?"

Peyton nodded and thought that was the best idea. "Yeah, come on, I'll drop you guys off."

"Nooo," Brooke whined, she wanted to tell her story. "Don't you want to hear what Lucas said? A certain brother of his told him he likes a certain sister of mine." Haley froze in her seat and Peyton stood up.

"Uh, Brooke, no offense but I don't think Haley cares about Nathan." Peyton caught Haley's pleading look and tried to get Brooke to stop.

"P. Sawyer!" Brooke yelled out in amusement. "Don't tell me you still have feelings for him?"

Peyton bit her lip and swallowed her pride. "You caught me Brooke," she said sarcastically, "you read me like an open book." Haley smiled at Peyton and watched as Brooke jumped off the couch.

"Does Jake know?" She asked immediately. Peyton shook her head.

"No, and I would appreciate if you didn't say anything. I'm still a little confused with the whole thing. Anyways, I hate to be an ass, but you two need to go, I have an English test that I need to study for."

Once they got home, Haley immediately ran up to her room, shutting the door behind her. If Brooke brought up Nathan Scott again she was going to have a meltdown. She heard a knock on the door and groaned.

"Okay, so even though Peyton said she still might have feelings for Nate, I still think you should go for him. She's already had some, it someone else's turn." Brooke declared, bouncing into the room and onto Haley's bed. Haley pulled the covers closer to her and clutched onto Mr. Waffles' arm.

"Brooke," she groaned, "I don't want Nathan, okay? I don't like him."

Brooke eye's widened in shock. "Why not! He's really hot and he's the star player of the basketball team. Any girl would be glad to go out with him!"

Haley threw the blankets off of her and got out of the bed. "Look, I don't want to talk about him anymore, okay? Can you just drop it?"

"I'm only trying to-"

"Trying to what, Brooke? I can't stand Nathan, I never could. He's nothing but an arrogant asshole."

Brooke stood up in anger. She wasn't going to sit here and listen to her sister diss her friend. "Haley, how could you say that? That's your best friend's brother! If you gave him a chance-"

"I don't want to give him a chance!" Haley bellowed, her face red from anger. "You don't know the whole story."

Brooke threw her hands up in the air. "Of course not! There's always got to be a story behind it. What is it this time, Hales? Why do you hate Nathan so much?"

Haley looked her sister deep into the eye. Her eyes started to water, but she didn't care. "You want to know why I hate Nathan so much?" Brooke nodded desperately while Haley took a deep breath. "He tried to rape me, Brooke, okay? He tried to rape me. Are you happy now?" Haley bitched out, sinking to the floor in a fit of hysteria.

Brooke stood there in shock, she couldn't believe what she just heard.

Okay, there it is. It's all revealed. Next chapter Brooke goes psycho on a certain basketball player named Nathan Scott. Dun dun dun...


	13. Taking care of business

_A younger sister is someone to use as a guinea pig in trying sledges  
__and experimental go-carts.  
__Someone to send on messages to Mom.  
__But someone who needs you - who comes to you with bumped heads,  
__grazed knees, tales of persecution.  
__Someone who trusts you to defend her.  
__Someone who thinks you know the answers to almost everything_

Brooke took a deep breath. "What did you just say?" She wanted to hear it again just to make sure she heard right. Haley looked at her with watery eyes and fiddled with her hands.

"You heard what I said," she whispered in a tone Brooke could hardly hear. Brooke closed her eyes and let it all sink in. Nathan Scott, her boyfriend's younger brother, her best friends ex-boyfriend, tried to rape her sister. This was something she never saw coming. Haley was harmless. She would never ever try to hurt anybody, and if she did, she would apologize over and over again until she believed she was really forgiven. Something about it wasn't right, sure Nathan was the big man on campus and probably dated half the girls in the school, but the situation wasn't sitting well with Brooke.

"Nathan Scott tried to rape you? Are, are you sure?" Brooke questioned, still not wanting to believe it.

"Yes I'm sure! Do you think I would make something up like that?" Haley spat a little hurt that her own sister wouldn't believe her. "I'm telling you the truth, Brooke. He tried to rape me. Twice. He tried to pull me in a classroom today."

Twice? Now Brooke was shaking from the fear. "Twice?" She repeated again to make sure she was hearing right.

Haley was getting frustrated. "Yes, Brooke! Twice, two times, he tried again after the first time. Twice!" She was a bit more elaborate this time so Brooke could understand.

"When did this all happen?" a now filled in Brooke asked, sitting down next to her sister, taking her hand in hers.

"The first time was a couple weeks ago. That night I had the.." Haley's voice trailed off leaving Brooke to finish the sentence for herself. Brooke sighed as she remembered the night of Haley's emotional breakdown. It was a hard night, something she hoped that would never again. But that night was a breeze compared to the nights her and her sister were going to face.

Brooke ran her hand through her tousled brown hair and sighed. She really had no clue what to do. But, Taylor might. "Taylor!" She yelled out loud enough for her older sister to hear her.

"What are you doing?" Haley asked in confusion. Taylor wasn't really her favorite person right now and she wasn't up for seeing her. "Don't call her!"

"Haley, I'm sorry but she deserves to know. Taylor!" She called once more, hoping her sister would hear this time.

"It's bad enough you know, she doesn't need to know. Please, Brooke." Haley tried to plead with her, but Brooke wasn't having any of it.

"Haley," she repeated once again, "we need to get you checked out by a doctor to see if he, if he you know."

"He didn't. Christian walked in before it went to far." Haley said, shuddering at the thought of Nathan on top of her.

"I don't care, I still want you to get checked out, just incase." Brooke rolled her eyes at her sister's stubbornness. When Haley had her mind set on something, it was hard to get her around it. "TAYLOR!" Brooke yelled once last time. Haley closed her eyes and wished for it to all go away.

Minutes later, a tired looking Taylor appeared in the room. It was obvious she had been sleeping and was very annoyed. "What do you want?" She asked, rubbing her eyes, her vision too blurred to see her sister's on the floor.

"Go on, Haley, tell her," Brooke whispered, nudging her sister with her shoulder. Haley glared at Brooke and shook her head.

"Tell me what?" Taylor was getting annoyed now. "Is there a pointas to whyyou woke me up?"

Brooke took a deep breath and just let it all out, much to Haley's dismay. "Someone tried to rape Haley."

"I'm sorry, what did you just say?" Taylor had the same reaction Brooke did just a few minutes ago. "Did you just say someone tried to rape Haley?" Brooke nodded sadly and Haley looked away.

"Yeah," Brooke whispered getting up and walking over to her sister. "Will you please tell her she needs to go see a doctor."

"Haley, you really should go see a doctor. I'll take you right now, you don't need to tell anyone else if you don't want to."

"I don't need a doctor!" Haley yelled getting up from her position on the floor. "See, this is why I didn't want to tell you. You're making it a big deal and it's not."

"But it is a big deal, Haley. You were almost raped." Taylor said walking over to Haley. She put her hand on her shoulder and Haley immediately pulled back. Every time someone tried to touch her, it made her think of Nathan. Brooke stood in the corner unaware of what to do. Right now all she wanted to do was kill Nathan for hurting her sister. And that's what she was going to do.

"Taylor, can I talk to you for a second?" Brooke said, walking out of the room and into the hall. Taylor appeared in the hall a few seconds later.

"What?"

Brooke sighed. "I have to do something real quick, just keep an eye on her please."

Taylor held her hands up in protest. "Brooke, can't it wait? Haley needs you right now, I need you, and I can't do this alone. Besides, I'm not Haley's favorite person right now."

"I know, Taylor, but you just got to trust me. I'll be back in an hour tops. I promise." Brooke pleaded with her sister. Taylor didn't seem convinced but she reluctantly agreed.

"One hour and that's it. If you're not back in an hour I'm coming out to get you."

"I promise," Brooke said, giving Taylor a quick hug before walking to the stairs. "Just watch what you say to her, she's going through a lot right now, let her know you're there for her." Taylor nodded sadly and watched as Brooke darted down the stairs, slamming the front door behind her. She walked back into the room to find Haley staring at the window.

"Where's Brooke going?" She asked, not bothering to turn around to face Taylor.

"She had to take care of something real fast. She'll be back soon." She said, sitting on the bed. Haley whispered something incoherent and continued to stare at the window. "Look, Haley I'm really sorry for what I did. It was a shady thing to do and I promise I won't do it again. He's all yours."

Haley was reluctant to speak on the subject of Christian. It had suddenly donned on her that Taylor had helped her. "Actually you helped me, a lot." Taylor sat on the bed confused. How did kissing Christian help her?

"How?"

"Well, for one thing he's not the guy you think. He's a bit violent," Haley whispered, leaving Taylor to figure out what she was talking about. It took her a minute, but she soon figured it all out.

"Oh, Haley he didn't," Taylor said in disbelief. She watched as Haley turned around and nodded with watery eyes.

"I'm sorry," Haley sniffed, "but do you mind giving me some time to myself, to think."

"Yeah," Taylor nodded hesitantly. She wanted to give Haley one last hug before she left but she knew she would just pull back. "I'll be downstairs if you need anything," she said with a forced smile before leaving the room.

Brooke walked up the stairs to Nathan's apartment. She wanted to be calm and subtle but the thought of him on top of her sister made her want to rip him apart with her bare hands. She finally arrived to apartment 23 and gently tapped on the door. She put on a fake smile when Nathan opened the door.

"Uh, hi Brooke." Nathan said, scratching his head in confusion. Brooke never usually came over unless she was with Lucas. "Lucas isn't here if that's who you're looking for."

Brooke shook her head and placed her hands behind her back. "No, I was actually looking for you." Nathan looked surprised and nodded. "Mind if I come in?"

"Nope, come on in," He stepped aside with a smirk, shutting the door behind her and locking it. "What can I do for you?"

Brooke sat on the couch and crossed her legs. "Well see I have a little problem, and I was wondering if you could help me with it?" She raised her eyebrows at him and licked her lips.

Nathan was taken aback by her actions but wasn't going to let that stop him. "Couldn't deny your feelings for me? Your sister takes after you more then I thought."

Brooke let out a fake laugh and shrugged. "Is it that obvious?" She turned away shyly as Nathan joined her on the couch. He smiled and nodded.

"I can always tell when a girl likes me."

Brooke rolled her eyes at his pathetic attempt at a pickup line. She turned back around and forced another smile. She was trying to trap him into telling her about what he did to Haley. "So, Haley tells me she's tutoring you. That's cool."

"Yeah, I guess. She's a bit too innocent for me though. With the sisters she has, it's pretty hard to believe she comes from the same family as you two."

Brooke shrugged and flipped her hair. "Yeah well, she's a lot different then me. So, back to what you were saying about telling when a girl likes you. Where you ever wrong about that?"

"Couple times, but once we hit the sack it all changed."

And that pushed Brooke over the edge. "So you took them to bed against their own will?"

Nathan was confused. "What?"

"If they didn't want any you forced them to, right? No one ever said no to Nathan Scott, you couldn't handle the fact that she didn't want you!" Brooke yelled, getting up from the couch and staring Nathan straight into the eye.

"Brooke, what the hell are you talking about?"

"Haley said no to you but you couldn't accept the fact that for once in your life a girl had rejected you. And when she said no to sex too, you tried to force it upon her."

Nathan gulped and shook his head. "I don't know what you're talking about."

"Don't play dumb with me Nathan!" Brooke roared at the top of her lungs, "Haley told me what you did to her, and all I can say is I hope you have a good lawyer when this is all over."

"Look, I don't know what the fuck your prude of a sister told you, I didn't lay a finger on her."

"Don't you ever call my sister a prude again, you hear me?" Brooke said, delivering a slap to Nathan's angry face. "So help me god if you ever try to hurt her again I will kill you with my bare hands."

Nathan laughed and got up from the couch, looking down at the tiny girl below him. "Yeah I'd like to see you try." He grabbed her right wrist and gripped it tightly. Brooke kneed him in the privates, possibly eliminating the future Scott generation. "You bitch," he muttered, falling to the floor in pain.

Brooke laughed bitterly and picked up the baseball bat that was in the corner. "Tell me something I don't know." She swung it around a few times, making Nathan cower into the corner. "Don't worry, Natey, I'm not going to hurt you with it. I'm just going to do this," And with one simple swing, Brooke knocked over and shattered the lamp that was on the coffee table.

"I never liked that thing anyways," Nathan muttered, regaining his composure and standing up.

"What about this?" Brooke said, bending down and picking up the play station 2. Nathan's eyes widened. "Play station? This seems like something you'd like." She sneered, placing the game console back down and raising the bat above her head.

"Don't you dare!" Nathan yelled from across the room. Brooke simply laughed and brought the bat back down, smashing it into the play station. Nathan watched as she repeatedly beat it until it fell apart.

"Oops," she said innocently while looking at Nathan. He was livid and ready to kill her. He started to walk over but she held the bat out towards him. "One more step and this will connect with your face." Nathan stepped back with his hands up and watched as Brooke walked over to the TV.

"No don't-" But before he could stop her, Brooke swung the bat right into the TV. His precious TV now had a big hole in it and was sparking from the sides. He ran his hands through his hair trying to think of what to do.

She swung the bat into the TV again and stared at him with extreme hatred in her eyes. "That was for me," she said while hitting it again, "that's for what you try to do to Peyton," she swung the bat into the TV one last time and watched as it started to smoke, "and that's for my sister."

"You're a psycho you know that?" Nathan fumed, pacing back and forth between the kitchen and living room.

"Let me explain something to you," Brooke said, throwing the bat down and walking over to him, "you hurt my baby sister, I hurt you. Simple as that."

Nathan snorted and rolled his eyes. "Since when did you start caring about your sister?"

"Since I realized bastards like you make her life a living hell. Now I'm telling you this one more time, if you ever think to come near her or even make eye contact with her, I'll have your ass thrown in jail." Brooke bitched, giving Nathan once last punch before leaving. Nathan sank to the floor in awe of the state of his apartment. He grabbed a cloth from the kitchen and pressed it against his bleeding nose.

Brooke quickly ran down the stairs and far away from the apartment complex as she could. She couldn't believe what she just did and was now scared for her life. She wouldn't be surprised if Nathan was right behind her. The sun began to go down and Brooke become more paranoid. She had at least a 10-minute walk to her house.

Suddenly realizing her brother's work was just the next street over, she quickly rushed over there before she scared herself to death. Opening the doors with trembling hands, Brooke ran into the law office, nearly scaring the secretary.

"Brooke is everything okay?" Louise asked a bit startled. Brooke smiled and shook it off.

"Yeah, sorry I didn't mean to scare you. Is my brother still here?" She was hoping she could catch her brother before he left.

Louise smiled and shook her head. "No sorry dear. Jen came by earlier and they went out to dinner. Was it important?"

Brooke simply shook her head. "Um, no I just wanted to say hi. Thanks Louise."

She forced a smile and walked out the door, looking out both sides to make sure it was safe.

Taylor made a face as the steam from the boiling water hit her face. She gently poured the macaroni in and watched as the water began to foam. She figured making Haley's favorite food would calm her down for a while and get her to open up more. It always worked when their mother did it, it should work for her.

A few minutes later Haley appeared from upstairs. Her slightly wet hair clung to her shoulders. Taylor noticed her standing there and smiled.

"Just in time," she said while draining the macaroni in the sink. Haley bit her bottom lip and sat at the table.

"Oh, that's okay. I'm not really hungry."

"I'm not going to eat this whole thing by myself." Taylor protested, adding the cheese sauce in and mixing it around until it was all ready. "Now eat," she commanded, placing a bowl right in front of Haley.

"Is this some sort of bribe?" Haley asked while moving the macaroni around with her fork, not bothering to look up at Taylor's face.

"It all depends. Is it working?" Taylor asked hopefully while Haley stuck a forkful in her mouth. She swallowed it and thought about it for a while. She smiled and nodded.

"It's pretty good I must admit, not as good as mine, but it's still good. Thanks, Tay." Haley said with a genuine smile. Taylor let out a sigh of relief and smiled. She was surprised when Haley got up from the table and gave her a hug.

"What was that for?" Taylor asked curiously. A couple days ago Haley hated her guts.

Haley shrugged shyly and smiled. "Just thanking you, I guess. Thanks for being you and thanks for coming back. I'm really sorry, I didn't mean it when I said I hated you."

Taylor smiled nodded. "That's okay, I deserved it. But let's forget about that. There's still half the pan left to eat." Haley smiled and gladly shoved another bite into her mouth. Taylor was too happy to even notice Brooke had been gone for more then an hour. But being alone with Haley wasn't as bad she thought it would be.

"So," Haley began while drying the pan Taylor had just washed, "what's new in your life?" She asked trying to make small talk. Taylor laughed and shut the water off and wiped her hands on the back of her pants.

"Not a damn thing. You?"

Haley shrugged and put the pan down. "Oh just the usual. Tutoring, school, work, did I tell you? I was almost raped by the star basketball player." She laughed bitterly and Taylor made a face.

"Haley," She started but Haley put up her hand.

"No, it's okay. I realize I'm going to be okay. If I let everything that happened bother me then I'll end up in a psych ward far away. So I'm fine, it's all okay." Haley smiled but Taylor didn't look convinced.

"Haley, are you sure?" Taylor had to smile at her sister's attempt to be brave. When their parent's died Haley tried to pretend to be okay but she just ended up bursting into tears. But this time she didn't. This time she was okay.

"Yes, I'm sure. There are millions of women who are going through this too, I'm not the only one. All I need is you and Brooke I'll be fine."

"Well, we'll be right here if you ever need us." Taylor said, she pulled Haley into a hug and was relieved when Haley didn't pull back.

"Speaking of Brooke, where is she?" Haley asked nervously, still in Taylor's embrace. Taylor sighed and gently let Haley go.

"To be honest, Hales I don't know. She said she had to go somewhere and that she'd be back. She's probably at Peyton's or something. Do you need her?"

"Um, no it's okay. I was just wondering." Taylor knew she was lying. Out of all of them, Haley was probably the worst liar next to Brooke.

"Is there something I can help you with?"

"Well, yeah actually you can." Haley said as Taylor nodded for her to go on. She tugged at her sleeves shyly and looked down. "Okay, it's going to sound really babyish and stuff, but Brooke usually, puts me to bed," she said in a quick whisper. Taylor couldn't help but laugh.

"Haley you're nearly 17," Haley shrugged again and smiled sadly.

"I know, I know, but it's something we've been doing for 10 years or so. Besides, it's the only way I'll be able to sleep."

"Well, okay." Taylor said, taking her sister by the hand and leading her upstairs. She watched as Haley climbed into bed. Taylor thought it was pretty weird that Haley was going to bed at 8:00, but she didn't bother bringing it up. She put the covers on her awkwardly and watched as Haley looked around the room. "Looking for something?"

Haley let out a small laugh. "Mr. Waffles," Taylor nodded and looked around the room. "I think I might of left him in Brooke's room."

"Okay, I'll be right back." Taylor said walking to the door.

"Please hurry," Haley whispered and watched as Taylor disappeared. Seconds later she returned with the old teddy bear in her hand. Haley smiled and took it graciously.

"Thanks." She snuggled further into the bed and got comfortable.

Taylor put her hands on her hips. "Anything else? Do you want me to look under the bed for anything? Check the closet for the boogie-man?"

"Okay, I'm not that big of a baby." Haley said with a laugh. "Thanks, Taylor. Night," she whispered before closing her eyes.

Taylor smiled and walked to the door shutting the light of behind her. She was halfway out the door when Haley called her name. "What?" She whispered, walking back over to the bed.

Although she couldn't see it, Haley was blushing a shade of magenta. Usually she didn't have to ask Brooke to stay, she automatically knew. But with Taylor it was different. "Will, will you just stay in here until I fall asleep? It will only be a few minutes."

Taylor let out a small groan. "Oh, Haley-"

"Please Taylor? I don't like to be alone when I'm trying to sleep."

"Okay, but only 5 minutes." Haley nodded and Taylor climbed over her and sat on the opposite side of the bed. Haley smiled and rolled over, shutting her eyes again.

Twenty minutes had passed and Haley was sound asleep. Taylor was dozing next to her but was quickly awaken by the sound of the front door slamming shut. She carefully got of the bed and walked down the stairs.

"Where the hell have you been!" She tried to keep it down but it was hard not to lose control.

Brooke smiled nervously and sat on the couch. "Is, is Mike home yet?"

"Brooke, don't change the subject! You said you would only be gone one hour, you've been gone for 3."

"I know, I know. I had to do something and then after I did it I went to think and I realized I just made the biggest mistake of my life."

Taylor sighed and joined her sister on the couch. "What did you do?" Brooke sniffled and leaned into her sister.

"I trashed Nathan Scott's house. He's the one that tried to rape Haley." Taylor couldn't help but smile.

"There's nothing wrong with that, Brooke. He deserved it."

"Yeah but I'm afraid he'll come after me and do what he tried to do to Haley." Brooke said, her tone laced with fear. Taylor pulled her closer and gently stroked her hair.

"No, don't say that. I won't let him I promise."

Brooke sat up and fiddled with her thumbs. "I just don't understand why he would try to hurt Haley. She never did anything to him."

Taylor shrugged and was silent for a minute. "Wait a minute," she said turning to face Brooke, "is this the same Nathan Scott you lost your virginity too?"

"How, how did you know that?" Brooke said, her cheeks turning pink.

Taylor smirked. "You drunkenly confessed it once." Brooke made a face and Taylor went on, "and unfortunately I de-flowered that kid when he was a freshman. Which can only mean one thing."

"He wanted to nail all three of us," Brooke said sadly, finishing the sentence. Taylor nodded and sighed.

"That he did, that he did."

Brooke felt disgusted. Nathan was nothing but a no good bastard who deserved to be thrown in jail. "I should probably go check on Haley." She said getting up from the couch.

"She's in bed already."

Brooke raised her eyebrow. "Really?"

Taylor nodded and laughed. "Yeah, I never knew she had to still be tucked in."

"That's my fault," Brooke said with a light laugh, "I guess I still baby her a little bit."

Taylor shook her head; that was a major understatement. "A little? Try a lot, Brooke. But I think after everything we've been through, it's okay. Now let's just hope she gets over it by the time she goes to college, then it might get a little weird."

"I'm gonna head upstairs. Thanks for filling in for me Tay."

"Well I am her sister too. Good night."

Brooke walked into her room and quietly shut the door behind her. She sat on the bed and began to cry. She wrapped her arms around her knees and gently rocked back and forth.

"Brooke?" Haley's concerned voice came from the door. She walked into the room and sat down next to her sister. "What's wrong?"

Brooke quickly wiped her tears and forced a smile. "Nothing, Hales. I'm fine." She noticed Haley looked like she had been sleeping. "I didn't wake you did I?"

"No, I couldn't sleep anyways."

"I'm sorry," Brooke said giving her sister a small hug. Haley smiled and wiped away the stray tear that fell down Brooke's face.

"I'm going to be okay you know. I can make it through it." Haley said, wrapping her arms around her sister and pulling her close.

"I know you can, baby. I'm just a little scared." Brooke whispered.

"I am too, but I will make it. That's a promise." Brooke looked up and smiled at her sister. After every thing she's been through she still managed to hold her head up high.

"So did you miss me?" Brooke asked with a laugh. Haley nodded her head and moved closer to her sister.

"I did," she said with a little smile, "Taylor made macaroni and cheese."

"Was it as good as mine?" Brooke asked cautiously. No one made a better mac 'n cheese then her.

Haley laughed. "Relax, Tigger, yours is still my favorite."

"You're lucky, it's the only thing I can cook."

"So where did you go tonight?" Haley asked timidly. She didn't know if Brooke was up for talking about it.

"I just went to clear my head, take care of a few things."

Haley raised her eyebrow in fear that she did something involving Nathan. "What kind of things?"

Brooke saw her sister's look and realized she couldn't tell her. "Nothing, I just went to Peyton's for a bit. We talked and then I came home." Lucky for her, Haley believed it. "Well you should probably get back to bed, you need some sleep."

Haley smiled and gave her sister one last hug. "Yeah."

Brooke looked at her sister and raised her eyebrow. "Unless you want to stay here tonight?"

Haley thought about it for a minute and shook her head. "No thanks, I think I'm going to try and sleep on my own tonight."

Brooke smiled and pretended to be sad. "Aw, my little Haley-bub is growing up so fast."

"I guess I am." Haley said with a laugh. She smiled and gently tapped Brooke on the head. "Don't miss me too much tonight."

"I'll try not to," Brooke said sarcastically and watched as Haley walked out of the room. She smiled and flopped down on the queen-sized bed. She had to admit it would be a little weird not to have Haley next to her, but it would be nice to have the whole bed to herself.

After she shut the light off, Brooke climbed into the big bed and got comfortable underneath the covers. She sighed; it was pretty lonely without Haley. Just as she was about to drift off she heard a voice.

"Okay, maybe I'll 'grow' up tomorrow," Haley said, climbing into the bed next to her sister. Brooke smiled and rolled over to make room for her.

* * *

Well psycho Brooke didn't come out the way I really wanted to, but i wanted to get an update in. And I do realize the whole Taylor/Haley thing was pretty cheesy, but I needed a way to have them make up fast. I know, I know I'm lacking on the Baleyness so I threw some corny things in at the end. I'll have more, I promise. Once again, thanks for the reviews, you guys are awesome.


	14. The rise and the fall

Again, I'm so sorry. I got stuck with horrible writer's block and I finally managed to come up with something. I'm not too proud of it, but It's better then nothing.

* * *

Brooke tossed and turned in the bed trying to get comfortable. It had been at least an hour since she tried going to sleep, but thoughts of Nathan hurting her sister kept playing in her head. She rolled over and propped her elbow up on her pillow. She gazed at her sister sleeping beside her and sighed.

"How you manage to sleep after what happened to you is beyond me," She mumbled, gently running her hands through Haley's hair. "You didn't deserve any of this and I'm going to make sure Nathan gets punished for it."

Taylor wandered around the large house aimlessly looking for something to do. She wasn't ready to go to bed and she didn't feel like going out with her friends. She walked past Brooke's room and noticed Brooke was still awake. She walked into the room and sighed.

"Can't sleep either?" She whispered, not wanting to wake Haley up. Brooke shook her head and sat up. Taylor walked over to the bed and sat at the edge.

"What's going to happen to her, Tay?" Brooke asked in a frightful voice. Haley rolled over and gently grasped on to Brooke's right arm. "She can't even sleep in her own bed at night."

Taylor sighed and shrugged. "I don't know, Brooke. But we just have to take it slow." She glanced at Haley and scratched her head. How could someone so innocent fall victim to such a painful thing. "Any more things I should know about her?"

Brooke tried not to laugh and nodded. "Where do I begin? She can't sleep without that ugly ass teddy bear, you have to make sure she's all settled in bed before you can leave the room and she's a very light sleeper so I wouldn't be surprised if she woke up any minute, so we should probably move this down stairs."

"Good idea," Taylor agreed getting off the bed, "there's still some left over macaroni and cheese in the fridge."

Brooke swung her feet over the bed and tried to get up, but forgot Haley had a grip on her arm. "A little help, Taylor?" Taylor laughed and gently pulled Brooke's arm free from Haley's. They quietly walked out of the room and made their way into the kitchen.

"This sucks," Brooke said spitting out what once was macaroni and cheese. Taylor made a face and threw something at her.

"Haley said it was good."

Brooke laughed and pushed the bowl away from her. "That's because Haley's too nice. She would never tell you it sucked."

"Well at least she was being nice," Taylor pointed out before taking a bite. She too spit hers out. "Okay, maybe it does suck. I swear it tasted better before."

"I'll take your word for it," Brooke mumbled, dumping the rest of the food into the barrel. She was starting to get a little tried, but a part of her wasn't ready to go to sleep. She was about to say something but quickly stopped when the back door flung open and Mike and a bunch of his friends came bustling in.

"The Sox are going to kill the Yankees!" Mike exclaimed walking right past his sisters and into the living room. Brooke and Taylor rolled her eyes as they watched the 4 men gather round to watch the baseball game.

"I thought you went out to dinner with Jen?" Brooke asked, sitting on the side of the couch.

"Well, we were in the middle of it and the hospital called. They were short staffed so they needed her. So I called the guys and here we are. You remember Jeff, Tom, and Kyle right?"

Brooke shrugged. Sure, why not. "Hi," she waved to them. They all waved back, eyes glued to the TV screen. "Well you boys have a fun night, try to keep it down though, we do have someone sleeping upstairs."

"Brooke," Taylor groaned walking up the stairs, "I thought you were going to tell him?" They walked into Haley's room and sat on the bed.

"What was I suppose to say? Hey, by the way, Haley was almost raped enjoy the game? I'm not going to announce it in front of his friends."

Taylor sighed. "They're all lawyers down there, I'm sure they've heard cases like this before."

Brooke turned away and bit her lip. She knew Mike dealt with cases like this all the time, but none of them involved his youngest sister. "I know, but it gets kind of personal when it's your own sister." She leant back on the bed and rested her head on the headboard, running her hands over the smooth comforter. She never understood why Haley even bothered to have a bed; she rarely slept in it. Taylor wrinkled her nose.

"I understand that, Brooke, but if we keep prolonging it it's only going to get worse and worse." Brooke sighed and closed her eyes. She didn't want to deal with it right now, all she wanted to do was go to sleep and dream her problems away. But she couldn't do that with Haley right next to her. She knew Haley would wake up in the middle of the night with a bad dream and keep her up until she could fall back asleep.

"Whatever," Brooke muttered getting off the bed. Taylor sat her back down and looked deep into her eyes.

"If you don't tell him tonight, I will." She said crossing her arms. Brooke tried to open her mouth in protest but Taylor wasn't having any of it. "No, don't even try to get around this. He's her legal guardian and brother, he has a right to know."

"A right to know what?" A male voice came from behind the door. Brooke turned around in fear to see her brother standing there. Taylor gave Brooke a quick look and gestured for her to tell him.

"N-nothing," She stuttered trying to think of something else to say. "We were talking about Lucas." Taylor rolled her eyes and sat on the desk chair, biting her lip to stop herself from blurting it out.

Mike gave her a weird look and shook his head. "Brooke, I'm not stupid. What do I have a right to know?"

"I'm telling you, it's nothing." Brooke replied, getting off the bed and attempting to walk out the door. Mike didn't move and Taylor got up out of the chair.

"Brooke just tell him!" She yelled exasperated. Brooke felt her eyes begin to water but there was no way she was going to tell Mike about Haley.

"What the hell is going on?" He asked one more time. He was getting sick of their little games and wanted to know the truth. "Tell me the truth."

Brooke shot Taylor a glare before she turned back around to face her brother. "You might want to sit down for this." Taylor gave Brooke a quick hug before leaving the room and shutting the door behind her.

"Wait a minute," he asked putting his hand up. "Why are we in Haley's room? And where is Haley."

Brooke shook her head sadly. Her brother hardly knew anything about her sister. "She's asleep in my room."

"Why?" He asked in confusion. He never knew about Haley's sleeping problems and was clueless about the rest of her life.

"It's a long story and it doesn't matter right now," Brooke replied curtly. She watched as Mike sighed and sat down on the bed and motioned for her to go on. "Before I start, I just want you to know, I did this because I had to."

"Brooke, I'm not going to have to defend you in court am I?" Mike asked worriedly. Brooke shrugged and paced around the room.

"Possibly," she whispered, shutting her eyes tight to avoid the look on his face. She opened them and saw that he had gotten off the bed. Mike ran his fingers through his dark brown hair and started to pace.

"What did you do?" He asked sternly, "tell me right now."

Brooke took a deep breath and sighed heavily. "I sort of trashed Nathan Scott's house. And sort of hit him and slapped him."

Mike scratched his head and continued to pace. Brooke sighed and sat down on the bed. "Nathan Scott? As in Dan Scott's son?" Brooke nodded as tears began to fall from her face. "Do you know what Dan Scott will do to you, Brooke?"

"I had to!" Brooke yelled through tears while getting off the bed.

"What do you mean had to!" Mike yelled back staring straight into his sister's watery eyes. Brooke refused to speak and shook her head.

"Why don't you ask Haley," She spat before walking out of the room and slamming the door shut behind her. She heard Mike say something but she didn't care.

"Brooke," Taylor called after her, getting up from the floor and chasing after her.

Brooke spun around and glared at her. "Are you happy now? He knows what I did to Nathan. But I **am** not telling him what he did to Haley. Unlike some people, I listen to people when they tell me to keep something secret."

Taylor pushed Brooke into her room and closed the door. "What the hell is that suppose to mean?"

Brooke got off Taylor's bed and shook her head. "I told you I didn't want to tell him!"

"HE HAS A RIGHT TO KNOW!" Taylor yelled at the top of her lungs. She was sick of Brooke trying to hide it. "You had your chance, Brooke. I'm going to tell him." She started walking towards the door but Brooke grabbed her arm and pulled her back.

"Don't you dare!" Brooke yelled in frustration. She took a deep breath and tried to calm herself down. "Let Haley tell him, okay? If she doesn't tell him by Friday then I'll tell him."

Taylor crossed her arms. "No, Brooke. How long did it take for Haley to tell you? Huh? She won't tell him, I know her too damn well."

Brooke laughed bitterly and shook her head at Taylor. "You don't know Haley at all. That's complete bullshit." Taylor was about to say something but Brooke continued with her tirade. "No, don't you tell me you know her, because you don't. You don't know the first thing about her. No one does."

"Fine, Brooke then tell me everything about her. Seeing as you know her the best." Taylor said, throwing her arms up in frustration. Brooke made an annoyed face and sat back on the bed. She was trying to stop herself from blowing up at Taylor, but the way she was acting made it hard not to.

"God, Taylor, you think you really know her?" Brooke said with a sigh. Taylor nodded and gestured for her to continue. "Okay, fine then. What's her favorite T.V. show?"

"Will & Grace," Taylor answered with ease, "ask me another one."

"Wrong," Brooke said in a monotonous tone. "That's my favorite show. Hers is Friends." Taylor looked flustered but shook it off. She was going to prove to Brooke that she knew her sister. "What's her favorite movie?"

Taylor smiled triumphantly. She knew this one for sure. "The Princess Bride"

"Wrong," Brooke said in the same tone as before. "That was her favorite movie when she was 12, it's Now and Then." Taylor shook head in disapproval. She knew Brooke had to be lying.

"The hell it is, stop lying Brooke." Taylor said bitterly. Brooke was known to lie from time to time when it came to stupid games between the two.

"I'm not lying," Brooke said un-phased by Taylor's accusations. "You really know nothing about her. And that's just the small stuff. Do you have idea why she can't sleep on her own at night?"

"Look-"

Brooke ignored Taylor and continued. "Because every time she closes her eyes she has visions of Mom and Dad's accident over and over again. Their car crashing into the railing, the rain falling hard on the ground, the thunder booming loudly, everything. She remembers every little detail about their death. And when it rains it reminds her of the day they never came to pick her up from piano lessons."

"Brooke," Taylor groaned, as much as it was true, she wasn't ready to hear it all. Brooke shrugged and went on, even if it meant making Taylor feel guilty for her leaving.

"And do you think it's easy for me to listen to her when she cries herself to sleep night after night? Do you think I like going to bed knowing she is in the next room bawling her eyes out over two people who are never coming back, two people who will never be there to hold her and tell her that it's going to be okay? Two people who will never get to see what a beautiful girl she's grown up to be. Two people-"

"Brooke, stop it," Taylor finally cut in before Brooke could continue. Brooke got off the bed and walked right over to her, staring her straight in the eye.

"The next time you want to tell me that you know Haley, you better be sure of yourself. No one really knows Haley at all, and it's kind of pathetic that her own flesh and blood doesn't even know about her problems." Brooke opened the door and started to walk out of the room, but was pulled back by Taylor.

"Listen to me," Taylor snapped; angry and annoyed at Brooke, "do you think I'm proud of myself? Do you think I wanted to leave?"

Brooke released herself from Taylor's grip and shook her head. "I don't know, Taylor, why did you leave? What was so bad that you had to run away and leave us here all alone? No goodbye or anything." Taylor sighed and started to pace around the room.

"Well come on, Taylor. What was so bad in your life that you to just up and leave?" Brooke asked, her voice cocky and slightly arrogant. Taylor knew better then to give into her sister's taunts. She was about to tell her off when Haley's voice interrupted them.

"What the hell are you two fighting about? They can hear you in China!" Haley bellowed, walking into the room. Nothing made her angrier then being woken up by petty arguments.

"Sorry, Haley. I didn't mean to wake you up. We were just arguing about-"

"You!" Taylor cut in before Brooke could finish. She was sick of Brooke walking on eggshells every time Haleywalked into the room.

"Me?" Haley asked in confusion. She walked further into the room and gently leaned up against the wall. "Why are you arguing about me?"

Brooke glared at Taylor and walked over to Haley. "We weren't. Don't listen to her. Come on, I'll take you back to bed." Haley backed away from Brooke and found herself in a corner.

"No," Haley said firmly. "Were you two really arguing about me?" Brooke backed away slightly nodded. Haley bit her lip and shrugged. "What did I do?" She asked quietly, playing with the sleeves of her shirt. All Brooke wanted to do was smack Taylor for making her sister feel bad. This was in no way her fault.

"Haley," Brooke started calmly, gently walking back over to her. She knew Haley was probably a bit nervous about the situation. "It's nothing to worry about, I promise." She gave her a small smile, but Haley wasn't buying it.

"Listen, Haley," Taylor said, walking right up to her, inches away from her face. "Yes we were arguing about you."

"Taylor!" Brooke hissed, trying to pull her away from Haley, but Taylor wasn't budging.

"Brooke!" Taylor groaned frustration, throwing her arms up in the air. "You need to stop this right now, okay? She's a big girl, she can handle things on her own. You can't baby her for the rest of her life."

Haley exchanged a look with Brooke before running out of the room. Brooke looked at Taylor, stunned. "You've really done it now," she bitched as she heard the front door slam. "You better hope she didn't go far."

Taylor rolled her eyes as she watched Brooke run out of the room. "Brooke, wait," she called out after her but it was too late. Brooke had already gone out the door.

"Haley?" Brooke called out as she walked out onto the front porch. She looked down and saw Haley sitting on the front steps with her arms wrapped around her knees. She sat down beside her and tapped her on the shoulder. "Are you okay?"

Haley turned around to face her sister and shrugged. "Yeah, I'll be fine." She whispered, shifting away from her sister. Brooke looked confused and moved closer to her, which caused Haley to move further away. "Stop, please."

"Stop what?" Brooke asked in a small voice. She moved to her right and shivered from the cold. "Talk to me," She ran her hands over her arms in an effort to stop the goose bumps that were appearing on them.

Haley was silent for a minute, but soon shuffled back towards Brooke, allowing her to wrap her arms around her. "I'm just scared I'm going to lose her, Tigger."

"Lose who?" Brooke asked in confusion. She wasn't exactly sure who Haley was talking about.

"Taylor. I'm scared I'm going to lose her." Haley whispered, feeling Brooke's grip get tighter. Brooke closed her eyes, trying to think of something to say that would make the situation better. But there was nothing she could say about Taylor. She never stuck around for a while and if she did, she would end up leaving without a goodbye or even a note.

"You're not going to lose me, Hay," Taylor said from behind them. Brooke and Haley turned around to see Taylor standing in the doorway. Her eyes were a little red and her voice was nasal. She never liked to cry in front of people, especially her sisters. She was the strong one and she knew if she were upset, they would get upset. She joined the two teenagers on the steps and put her arms around them. "You're gonna be stuck with me for a while."

Brooke smiled and placed her hand on top of Taylor's. Any anger she had towards her sister had now subsided. She was relieved when Taylor said she was sticking around. Her smile soon turned into a frown when she saw a police car pull up.

The two officers got out of the car and made their way up the walk way, conferring with each other on the way. Brooke held on to Haley tighter and watched as Taylor got up, standing in front of them in a protective manner.

"Can I help you?" Taylor asked in a calm voice. One of the officers took out a notepad from his back pocket and began to scan the piece of paper.

"Uh, yes. My name is Officer Hanson and this is my partner Officer Young. We're looking for a Haley James. Is that you?" Taylor shook her head and looked at Haley, who stood up beside me.

"That, that's me," she said in a shaky voice. Brooke stood up beside her and grabbed her hand.

Officer Young sighed and scratched his head. He hated handling rape cases, especially when it happened to young teenagers. "We'd like to ask you a few questions about Nathan Scott, would you mind coming with us?" He gently placed his hand on her arm, trying to break her free from Brooke's grip.

"Okay," she stuttered, unwillingly letting go of Brooke's hand. She looked back at Brooke with scared eyes, hoping Brooke would follow her.

"Can we come with you?" Taylor asked, walking up besides Haley and the two police officers.

"Sorry, Miss, but we only have room for two people in the car." Officer Hanson said. Taylor nodded and motioned for Brooke to follow.

"You go, I'll stay here and wait for Mike. I'll see you soon," Taylor said, giving Brooke a hug. "Make sure she's okay, I know you'll do it anyways, but just incase." Brooke smiled and nodded while breaking out of the embrace.

"Brooke, what's gonna happen?" Haley asked while she followed Brooke into the squad car. Brooke pulled her towards her and gently kissed her on the head.

"We're gonna send Nathan to jail."


	15. Tiny little fractures

First I want to thank you all for the awesome reviews. I read them yesterday in Humanities while I was suppose to be researching something for my project. They totally made my day! And I'm glad you're all enjoying the Brooke/Haley bond.. I love it too..which is sort of weird and sad considering I'm the one writing it. But yeah, seeing as I have no life, here's another update. Enjoy!

* * *

Brooke sat in the police station absentmindedly swinging her legs underneath the cold, metal chair she sat on. It had been at least an hour and a half since her and Haley had gotten there. There was no sign of her brother and sister and she was starting to get a little worried.

She felt her phone vibrate in her pocket but chose to ignore it. She figured it was just Lucas calling about something. After it stopped, she fished around in her jacket and took it out. _10 missed calls_ flashed in front of her eyes. She flicked through the list and let out a small laugh. They were all from Lucas. He was so predictable at times.

The woman sitting at the front desk looked at Brooke and sighed. She was curious as to why a seventeen year old would be the only family member waiting for the poor girl who was almost raped. Brooke caught her glance and smiled at her. The woman smiled back at her, but all she wanted to do was to take the girl in her arms and tell her it was all going to be over soon. It was all very familiar process to her. After intense scrutinizing and questioning, the victim was usually released in to the care of family members and referred to a psychologist who could help them get over their pain.

"Is there someone I could call for you, dear?" Brooke looked up and saw the woman standing over her, a concerned look plastered on her face. Brooke shook her head and forced a smile.

"No, that's okay. My brother should be coming soon." She said with a small sigh. The woman, whose name was Nancy, sat down next to her studied her carefully.

"I don't mean to pry or anything, but are your parent's aware of what happened?" Nancy immediately regretted it when she saw Brooke's eyes water. She turned away, quickly wiping her eyes to avoid the tears that were threatening to spill over.

"Actually, my parent's passed away a long time ago."

"Oh, I am so sorry-" Nancy said, putting her hands over her mouth trying to stop the tears that were forming in her own eyes. She got up figuring Brooke would like some privacy. "I'll just be over here if you need me." Brooke nodded and went back to staring at the floor.

If someone had told her she would be this close with her sister she would have laughed. Her mother always told her it was important to be nice to Haley because no matter what happened with her friends or school, Haley would be the one that was always going to be there for her. But Brooke always thought that was a load of bullshit and continued treating Haley like crap in public. It was less than a month ago that she was still treating Haley the way she always did. And now? Now it didn't matter, but back then if Haley came within a foot of her at school, she would make a rude comment and continue walking. She buried her head in her hands and tried to rid the thoughts appearing in her head.

"_Brooke? Can I ask you something real quick?" Haley asked coming up to Brooke's lunch table. Brooke seemed like she was in a good mood today and maybe she wouldn't poke fun at her._

"_Tutor Girl," Brooke replied in a bitchy tone, "how many times have I told you not to bother me at school?" Haley looked away and listened to Brooke's friends snicker. They always thought it was amusing the way Brooke treated her sister. _

"_I know, but I just wanted to ask you something…in private." Haley asked again nervously. She didn't know why she put herself through this torture. _

"_Tutor Girl shouldn't you be off with the nerds somewhere?" Theresa said with a giggle. "If I were you, I'd leave to avoid any further humiliation." _

_Peyton sat there and sighed. She couldn't keep track of how many times she tried to get Brooke to stop humiliating Haley. "Haley, don't listen to them. Why don't you sit with us?" Peyton asked, moving over to the left so Haley could sit in between her and Brooke. _

_Haley smiled and went to sit down but quickly moved away when Brooke slid in her spot. "Peyton!" Brooke hissed making a disgusted face towards her. "She's not sitting here. It's bad enough I'm related to this thing, we don't need to make it worse by letting her sit here."_

_Haley sighed and looked away. To Brooke she wasn't even a person; she was a 'thing'. A thing with no one to talk to, a thing with no friends, a thing who did nothing but sit in her room all day hoping that someday her sister would change._

_Peyton rolled her eyes and got up from the table. "Why I'm friends with you is beyond me." She grabbed Haley's arm and lead her back over to the table Haley was originally sitting at. Haley had to smile; Peyton was the only one of Brooke's friends she liked. They were some days where Haley actually wished Peyton were her sister instead of Brooke. At least she acknowledged her presence. "Don't listen to your sister, Hales. You can ask me if you want, maybe I could help?"_

"_Oh, that's okay, Peyton. Thanks anyways, I think I can figure it out for myself." Haley said with a small smile, watching Brooke as she made her way over. _

"_Peyton!" Brooke called out before sitting down next to the blonde. "I'm sorry, Goldilocks, I didn't mean to be a bitch to you. Time of the month, you know how it is." Brooke said with a light laugh. _

"_Brooke," Peyton started out looking at Haley before taking Brooke's hand and leading her away from Haley. "Brooke you know I love you, right?" Brooke smiled and nodded unaware of where Peyton was going with this, "but the way you treat your sister pisses me off." Brooke opened her mouth in protest but Peyton went on. "All she wanted to do was ask you a question, she's not asking you to give her a kidney. She just wants someone to talk to, she has no friends, Brooke. She's not like you."_

_Brooke rolled her eyes feeling no sympathy what so ever towards her sister. "Okay, she has Lucas, but seeing as he's not here today I'll give you that. Second of all, she knows not to talk to me in public. Third of all I don't care about her problems, okay? Peyton if you're worried about her than why don't you go befriend her?" Brooke's voice gradually got bitchier as she went on. Peyton shook her head in disbelief._

"_Brooke, all I want is for you to treat Haley the way she should be treated. Like your sister, not dirt." Brooke watched as Peyton walked back over to Haley and sat down next to her. She followed her back over and sat down next to them. She took a deep breath and looked at her sister._

"_Haley," She started in a voice Haley barely recognized. The voice she used to comfort her when her parents died. The voice that helped her get back to sleep at night. "I'm sorry for being such a bitch to you. Now what did you want to ask me." Haley could tell Brooke was having a hard time with this. _

_Haley shook her head. "Forget it," she mumbled getting up from the table and walking away. Brooke threw her arms up in the air and groaned._

"_I tried," She said to Peyton, who sighed and shook her head. Her plan had backfired. Again. _

"Brooke!" Peyton's voice called out, snapping Brooke back into reality. She ran over to where Brooke was sitting and knelt down next to her. "I am so sorry, Brooke. I had to do it, I know I should have-"

Brooke looked at her best friend in confusion. "Peyton, what are you talking about? What did you have to do?"

Peyton took a deep breath and held onto Brooke's hand for support. "Earlier, Haley told me what happened with Nathan. That's why we were crying, and I know, I know I should of told you, but I promised her that I wouldn't say anything to her. And I know, I should have told you anyways and I totally understand if you're mad at me because she told me before you. But I just want you to know that I'm going to be here for the both of you, day and night."

Brooke looked at her best friend with watery eyes and hugged her tightly, burying her head into her shoulder. "Thank you so much, Peyton. I can't even begin to thank you for everything you've done. I just, I just can't imagine life without you." Peyton smiled and gently shifted her position so she was now sitting next to Brooke.

"How are you holding up?" Peyton asked gently, resting her head on top of Brooke's.

"I'm really scared, Pey. She's been in there for a while and I haven't heard anything. But how did you know I was here?"

"I called your house to make sure you were okay. Taylor told me what happened and she was going to come down but I told her I would wait with you until she got a hold of your brother. She said he wasn't picking up his phone." Brooke had to laugh. Her brother was one of those people who were not up to date on modern technology. He always figured it was someone else's phone that was ringing.

"Brooke?" An unfamiliar voice said, breaking the girls out of their embrace. Brooke and Peyton both stood up to see a man in a suit coming towards them. He had no idea which one was Brooke and having both girls stand up was no help. "Brooke?" He tried again looking at Peyton. Peyton gestured towards Brooke, who tensed up beside her.

"Is everything okay?" Brooke asked taking a step towards the man. She felt her heart skip a beat when she heard him sigh.

"My name is Detective King and I'm going to be handling your sisters case. But right now we have a little problem. Your sister isn't cooperating with us, which is normal with most victims. We were wondering if you could come back and help us?" Brooke nodded and looked at Peyton.

"I'll stay right here," Peyton reassured her, sitting back down and watching as Brooke slowly followed the detective down the hall. "She's just in this room here," he said while pointing to the door in front of them. "We're going to need her to identify Nathan Scott, do think you could help her do that?"

Brooke felt her body go numb but she had to be strong. "Yeah, I can do that. Just give me five minutes." The detective nodded and Brooke took a deep breath before opening the door to the dimly light room. "Hales?" She called out in soft voice to make sure she didn't scare her. "Hi," she whispered, shutting the door beside her before walking over to Haley.

Haley sat there in silence staring at nothing in particular. The last thing she wanted to do was to talk about Nathan and how he tried to hurt her. It was all in the past and she wanted to move on, but she couldn't. Every time she heard his name thoughts of that night kept coming into her head.

"Haley?" Brooke said once again trying to snap her sister out of her daze. She gently pulled out the chair from underneath the table and sat down, putting her hands on top of Haley's. "How are you doing?"

"How the fuck do you think I'm doing?" Haley snapped pulling her hands away, while her eyes filled up with tears. "I don't want to talk to them about it, why can't they just leave it alone?"

Brooke sighed and scratched her head. There was nothing she could say to make her feel better so there was no use in lying. "Leave it alone? Haley! If you tell them what happened to you than Nathan will be going to jail. Don't you want that?"

"Yes, Brooke I want that, but I don't want to tell some stranger I just met about what happened. It's a little weird." Haley said, getting up from the table and walking away from Brooke.

"Haley I know it's uncomfortable, but all you have to do is identify Nathan for them and that's it."

Haley felt her body tense up and she started to tremble. "I, I have to see him?" Brooke nodded sadly and carefully made her way over to her sister, putting her arm around her. "I don't want to."

Brooke squeezed her tighter and brushed the hair out of her face. "It's okay, honey, I'm going to be right here with you, okay? He's not going to hurt you ever again."

"Promise?" Haley asked shyly, looking for comfort in Brooke's hazel eyes. Brooke nodded as the door opened and the Detective walked in.

"All set?" He asked looking back and forth between Brooke and Haley. Brooke looked at Haley for reassurance and then nodded towards him. "Okay," he said while he pulled up the blind revealing numerous men on the other side. "All you have to do is tell us which one Nathan is, Haley."

Haley gulped and scanned through the men that were standing on the other side of the wall. "They can't see us right?" She asked, gripping Brooke's hand for comfort.

"No. This is a one way mirror, we can see them, but they can't see us."

"Okay," Haley stuttered, searching for any sign of Nathan. Her heart skipped a beat when she spotted him. She quickly caught his bruised face and turned away, burying her head into Brooke's shoulder.

"He's number 7," Brooke said, pointing to Nathan while running her hand up and down her sister's back. The detective nodded and motioned for the guard in the room to take Nathan out.

Peyton fiddled with her thumbs waiting for Brooke to come back out. It had only been fifteen minutes but it felt like an eternity. She turned her head towards the front desk when she heard a familiar voice.

"Lucas?" She said, making her way towards him. "What are you doing here?" She asked confused. It then hit her that he was probably here to bail Nathan out.

"Apparently my dumbass of a brother got himself arrested and I'm here to bail him out. What are you doing here?" Lucas asked, raising his eyebrow at the blonde girl in front of him.

"You can't do that," Peyton said, ignoring his question. She figured he had no idea about Nathan trying to rape Haley.

"And why can't I, Miss Sawyer?" Lucas asked crossing his arms. Peyton was getting angry at the pure thought of Nathan roaming around free to go.

"Do you even know what he did?"

Lucas laughed and ran his hand through his neatly shaven head. "He said he was in the wrong place at the wrong time." Peyton shook her head and tugged at the stray curl that fell into her face. "Peyton are you okay?"

"You have no idea do you?" Peyton said, her voice rising in anger. How could be Lucas be so stupid? "I called the cops on him."

"What? Why the hell would you do that?" Lucas said, his voice also rising in anger. "Look, I know you two broke up a while ago, but Peyton, why would you do that?"

Peyton stood on the chair to become eye level with him and stared back at him with watery eyes. "Your brother tried to, tried to rape Haley." She spat angrily, letting the tears fall down her face without a care in the world. She watched as Lucas walked leaned against the wall before smacking it with his fist.

"Where's Haley?" Lucas asked, his voice beginning to tremble. "Is, is she okay?"

Peyton got off the chair and hugged him around the middle. "They've had her in for questioning for over 2 hours. Brooke's in there with her now trying to help her cooperate with the cops. Why would he do something like that, Luke?"

Lucas broke away from the embrace and rubbed his eyes, trying to rid the tears. "Because he's an asshole, that's why. I'm going to fucking kill him." He stormed off down the hall ignoring the protests from Nancy. He turned the corner, nearly bumping into Brooke.

"Lucas? What are you doing here?" Brooke asked before Lucas pulled her into a hug. She sniffled and allowed him to gently stroke her hair.

"Peyton told me what happened. Where's Haley?" Brooke held him tighter and rested her head on his chest. "Is she okay?"

"She's just, just in the bathroom. But god, Luke, she's not okay. She's too traumatized to even talk about it. But who could blame her." Haley slowly walked up to the couple, tapping Brooke on the shoulder to make her presence known. Brooke gently stepped aside and allowed Lucas to look at Haley. He shook his head and chewed his bottom lip, trying to think of something to say. Haley turned away to avoid his look.

"Hey," He whispered taking a step forward. He tried to pull her into a hug but she cowered away and sank to the floor. "It's me, buddy." Lucas sounded hurt at her actions but quickly shook it off.

Brooke pulled him back a little and shook her head. "They said that she might cower away from men. I'm so sorry, Lucas. But I think it's best if you leave," Brooke whispered giving him a quick hug. Lucas understood completely, but nodded sadly. His best friend didn't even want to be around him anymore.

"Lucas wait," Haley said, getting up from the floor and walking over to him. She allowed him to hug her, but she had no strength to hug him back. "I'm sorry," she whispered as he held her tighter, making her wince as his body brushed her bruised abdomen. She immediately pulled back and shuddered, hoping the pain would go away.

"What is it?" He asked in concern. Haley looked at Brooke and looked Brooke at Lucas. All she wanted to do was to go home and stop being treated like she was going to break. "Hales?" He asked again, this time softer. Brooke stepped in front of her sister and put her hand on Lucas' chest.

"Luke, can you just take us home?" Brooke asked him. Lucas looked back at Haley and sighed.

"Yeah, sure come on." He said, watching Haley scurry past him, not bothering to look at him. Brooke sighed heavily and held his hand as they walked out past Peyton, who ran right up to them.

"Peyton, I am so sorry," Brooke said, suddenly remembering Peyton was waiting for her. "I completely forgot and I-"

Peyton laughed and shook her head. "Don't sweat it. I'm just glad you're okay." She said glancing at Haley. "You don't mind if I go, then?"

Brooke shook her head and gave Peyton a hug. "We're all set, thanks. For everything." Peyton smiled and gave Lucas a quick hug. She decided it was best if she just smiled at Haley for the sake of her pulling away in fear.

"You all set, Hales?" Brooke asked before they started to walk any further. Haley looked at Lucas and shook her head.

"Can I go with Peyton?" Haley asked quietly.Lucas felt like he had been hit by a ton of bricks. Brooke looked at him sadly.

"No, no it's fine, go right ahead. I'll just stay here and pay my favorite little brother a visit."

"I'm sorry," Brooke whispered looking up at him with sad eyes. Lucas nodded and gave her a quick hug before disappearing down the hall. She knew it probably killed him to have Haley ignore him, but Brooke could understand where her sister was coming from. She knew she was going to have a hard time around guys, even her best friend.

"Are we all set?" Peyton asked breaking the silence that filled the air. Brooke and Haley both nodded and followed her out to the car.

Brooke struggled as she tried to open the door while an exhausted Haley leaned on her for support. She finally unlocked the door and gently kicked it open. She led Haley into the living room and sat her down on the chair.

"Hello?" She called out to the empty house. She glanced over to the couch and saw Taylor fast asleep. Typical she thought. Taylor was never one to depend on. She took off her jacket and walked over to Haley. "You must be exhausted. I think you should get some sleep, we'll talk in the morning."

"Yeah," Haley whispered, "are you coming too?"

"Where the hell have you two been?" Mike yelled, coming down the stairs. Haley immediately tensed up at his harsh voice.

Brooke took a deep breath and figured Taylor hadn't mentioned anything to Mike about their whereabouts. "Didn't Taylor tell you?"

"Tell me what?" Mike asked in a calm voice. He noticed Haley trembling and put his hand on her shoulder. She flinched and inched away from him, hiding behind her sister.

"Haley?" He said, stepping towards her once more. Haley latched onto Brooke tightly. "What in the world is going on?"

"You might want to sit down for this one," Brooke whispered as she gently pulled Haley off of her. Taylor began to stir and looked confused. She immediately shot up and put her hands over her mouth.

"Oh my god, I am so sorry. I must have fallen asleep while I was waiting for Mike." She exclaimed sitting up so Brooke could sit down. Brooke tried her best to let it go. She was too tired to start a fight.

"Don't worry. Can you just take her to bed? Just put her in my room, I'll be up soon." Brooke said with a heavy sigh. Taylor nodded and reluctantly and got up from the couch, letting out a small yawn. She knew Brooke was going to have a hard time letting Haley grow up, but with everything Haley experienced, she could understand where Brooke was coming from.

"Come on, Haley-Bub," Taylor said in a gentle voice, using the childhood nickname she had made up for her sister. Haley sighed and tried to hide her disappointment. She didn't want Taylor, she wanted Brooke. Brooke knew how to make her feel safe when she went to bed at night. Brooke knew how to tuck her in just like her mother did. Brooke made sure she was fast asleep before she left her room. Brooke knew how to do it all. Taylor didn't. Taylor thought it was weird that Haley still had to be tucked in. Taylor thought Brooke was babying her too much. Taylor was going to make Brooke stop, but Haley wasn't going to let it happen. Brooke was her rock and no one was going to take her away from her.

Mike watch in confusion as Haley sadly followed Taylor up the stairs and into her room. He joined Brooke on the couch and waited for her to fill him in. "So, what's up?"

"I don't know else to tell you so I'm just going to tell you straight, okay?" Mike nodded, a little scared as to what his sister was going to tell him. Brooke took a deep breath and let it all out. "Nathan tried to rape Haley. That's why I went over and trashed his apartment. I had to, Mike, I wasn't going to let him get away with hurting her…" She began to sob and felt her brother's arms wrap around her.

"It's okay, I understand. I just with you told me earlier before I stormed out. What else happened?" Brooke was surprised at Mike's tone. She figured he would be through the roof by now.

"Well, Peyton called the cops on Nathan and he was arrested and the cops came and took Haley down for questioning. But, they couldn't do anything except have her identify Nathan. They're going to come by tomorrow to talk to you and discuss the possibilities of what Haley will go through. I'm just so scared, she won't tell me anything more, she's sick of talking about it. I don't know what's going to happen to her." With every word she said, Brooke began to cry harder and harder. It was harder for her to sit here and talk about it than it was for Haley. She had always promised to protect Haley, but she let her down and that killed her.

"Brooke, Brooke, it's okay." Mike said, trying to comfort his sister. It was all new to him and he wasn't sure of what to do next. "I'll take some time off work, we'll get her the best psychologist possible, Jen can help her through this too, she's done rape cases before. It's all going to be okay, I promise. As for Nathan, he'll be rotting in jail by the time I get through with him. That no good bastard will pay for what he did."

Brooke wiped her eyes and nodded, pulling out of her brother's embrace. "I should probably get to bed. Haley needs me right now."

Mike nodded and stood up. "I think it's best if you guys took the rest of the week off. I'll call the school and let them know what happened."

"Okay," Brooke nodded before getting up and walking over to the stairs. "Goodnight," She said, beginning to walk up the stairs.

"Brooke, wait." Mike called out before her. Brooke walked back down and looked at him. "Look, I know I haven't been the best brother, but I want you to know I'm here for you and I can't even begin to tell you how much I appreciate everything you do for Haley. She'd be lost without you. And if you ever need help, just let me know. I'm going to be there every step of the way, I promise. I'm going to change. No more late nights at work, no more working from home, no more, it's all done. We need to sit down and have a long talk about everything. Including Mom and Dad."

Brooke shuddered at the thought of talking about her mother and father. He wasn't hiding something, was he? She was too tired to weigh out the possibilities. "I love you," she said, walking over to Mike and giving him one last hug.

"I love you too, Brooke," He said, watching her disappear up the stairs. He sighed heavily and put his face in his hands. Boy they were going to be in for a shock tomorrow.

Brooke dragged her feet up the stairs and barely made it through her bedroom door. She rubbed her eyes and yawned. "Thanks, Taylor," she mumbled, getting onto the bed and laid down next to a sleeping Haley. Taylor smiled and continued to run her hands through Haley's hair.

"Brooke, you know we have to do something about this, right?" Brooke felt a groan coming on but managed to suppress it with a cough. "You can't keep doing this."

"Can we talk about this in the morning?" Brooke snapped, shutting her eyes, wishing for Taylor to go away.

"Fine, but don't think you're avoiding me tomorrow," Taylor said with a sigh, getting off the bed and walking out of the room. Brooke sighed and rolled over to face her sister. Brooke knew Taylor was trying to get her to stop letting Haley sleep with her, but Brooke wasn't ready to give that up. Haley didn't know it, but she was Brooke's comfort during the night. She felt relaxed and at ease when Haley slept beside her.

"Brooke?" Haley said in a hoarse whisper. She heard what Taylor said and was woken up by the harshness in Brooke's voice. She too was afraid of their bond being broken by Taylor. "You promised not to leave me, don't let her take me away from you, please. I need you."

Brooke quickly hugged Haley before she launched into a fit of hysteria. "Hales, she's not going to tear us apart, I promise. I'm always going to be here for you, no matter what. But right now, you and I both need some sleep. I'll be right here for you in the morning."

"Promise?"

"I promise," Brooke whispered holding her sister closer. She wasn't going to let anyone take her away from her. Not Nathan. Not Taylor. No one. "No one is going to take you away from me. No one." Haley smiled at the sureness in her sister's voice. She snuggled closer towards her and shut her eyes, fearfully dreading the morning that lay ahead of her.

* * *

Well, I know that doesn't really tell you anything but Nathan's fate, but itwill be decided in the next chapter. There's going to be a few secrets revealed including why Taylor left without a goodbye. Also, Brooke deals with a heartbreak. And seeing as I should have a climax, in a few chapters poor Haley will go through a character change that won't sit well with her sister. Once again, thanks again for reading and reviewing. I'll shut up now.

Kristin


	16. The truth hurts

Yes, I know. I suck. I'm sorry for taking forever update. And I want to say I'm really really really sorry to **Tutor Gurl**. I know we had a deal and I'm sorry I made you upset!

* * *

Brooke awoke the next morning to her clock radio blasting Britney Spears' 'Do Somethin.' She groaned and rolled over, slamming her hand down on the snooze button.

"That song sucks," Haley commented from behind her. She was leaning against the wall in a stiff position.

"I'm sorry," Brooke said, sitting up beside her sister, "I forgot to turn the alarm off last night before I went to sleep. It didn't wake you, did it?"

Haley shook her head tilted her head towards the door. "No. The yelling did."

"What yelling?" Brooke asked in confusion. All she heard was silence, but was soon clued in when she heard two loud male voices downstairs. "What the hell is that?"

Haley shrugged and got out of the bed. "I don't know, but I'm going to find out." Brooke nodded and followed down the hall. They went down a few steps and sat down, exchanging looks with each other. They recognized one voice being their brother, but the other voice was unidentifiable.

"Why does that sound so familiar?" Brooke asked in a whisper. Where had she heard that voice before? Before she could think about it any more, Haley snapped her finger.

"I know exactly who it is," She said, getting up and running down the stairs before Brooke could stop her. She marched into the kitchen, interrupting the yelling match between Mike and the devil himself. His name was Dan Scott, but with his history, he could easily pass for Lucifer himself. "What the hell are you doing here?" She spat, lunging herself at him. Mike caught her just in time, wrapping his arm around her waist.

Dan laughed and patted her on the head. "Aw, is this the little guard dog?" He snickered and continued, "you know, little girls like you shouldn't go around sticking their nose in other people's business." Haley squirmed, desperately trying to get out of her brother's strong grip.

"Just shut up Dan," Mike said, sending an icy glare towards the man in front of him. "Get out of my house before I call the cops."

Dan laughed again. An evil, bitter laugh that sent a shiver down Haley's spine. "You're going to call the cops on me? Huh, taking a page out of your little sister's book here I see." Haley somehow found the strength to kick Dan in the knee. He acted like it didn't phase him, but inside he was hurting.

"Crying to the cops, saying my son tried to rape you." Dan fumed, quickly rubbing his throbbing knee. He had numerous surgeries to fix his now fragile knee when he injured it in College. He could never play again, leading him to live vicariously through his son, Nathan.

"You think I'm lying?" Haley fumed right back at him. Mike's grip on her loosened, but he still had a firm hand around her tiny waist. "Your son is an asshole and quite frankly it's no wonder why he wanted to move away from a dick like you."

Dan blinked a few times, trying to rid himself of the shock he just experienced. "Who the hell do you think you are, little girl? Michael, I don't appreciate your sister talking to me like this."

Mike sighed and shook his head. "That's enough, Haley." Haley turned around in his grip and looked at him in disbelief. She never really had a real relationship with her brother. He was 10 years older and was out of the house by the time she was 8.

"Enough? Whose side are you on anyways?" She spat, turning back around and stared at Dan. "His son should be locked up for the rest of his life."

Dan threw his head back and let out a laugh. "Honey, I bet your parent's are turning in their grave listening to the way you're talking to me."

Without even thinking, Haley lunged herself at him again. Mike pulled her back and tightened his grip, digging his big hand into the bruise that covered her abdomen. She flailed about in his arms, trying to break free while Dan stood there amused.

"Let me go," She yelled, trying to rid herself of the pain shooting through her body. Mike looked at her in confusion and gently released her. She clutched her stomach and closed her eyes, hoping the pain would subside.

"What? What's wrong?" He asked, watching his sister walk around the room with her right arm draped over her stomach. She waved him off and disappeared out of the room.

"Pretty sad if you ask me," Dan sneered, fiddling with his tie. Mike turned around and glared at him.

"What's sad?" He asked, afraid of Dan's possible answer. He knew he was going to tell him he was a bad 'parent'. Mike had to admit he knew absolutely nothing about his sisters, but he always made sure they were safe and well.

Dan shrugged and shook his head. "Well if you don't know, how should I?" Mike rolled his eyes and also shook his head. "Think about what I said about Nathan," Dan added, pointing his finger at him. "I'll pay you top notch, anything you want, you got it. You make sure my kid's record is cleaned."

"Dan," Mike groaned in frustration, "I'm not defending Nathan if he goes to court."

"And why not?"

"Why not? Why not?" Mike exploded; he had enough of Dan and wanted him out of his sight. "Because he tried to rape my sister, that's why."

"Michael, you were his age once. You know how teenage boys get. He probably couldn't keep it in his pants, I'm sure little Haley was just confused."

"Just get out," Mike said, pointing to the back door. Dan walked up to him and stared him down.

"You refuse my offer and I'll ruin you." He threatened, while walking past him and bumping his shoulder. "Think about it and let me know." Mike banged his fist on the table as the door slammed shut. He looked up at the ceiling and shook his head.

"We're in deep trouble."

Brooke peered out her window and watched as Dan unlocked his car. She raised her eyebrow in confusion and shrugged. What could Dan Scott want? Whatever it was, it was probably not good. When Dan Scott paid a visit to your house you were in trouble.

"What could he want?" Brooke muttered to herself trying to weigh out the possibilities of his little visit.

"Who the heck knows," Haley said walking into the room. Brooke turned around in shock, her left hand covering her racing heart.

"God, Hales, you scared me!" Brooke exclaimed, putting her hand down by her side. Haley laughed and fell onto the bed, soon followed by Brooke. "What do you want to do today?" She asked while glancing at the clock. It was only 8:15 which probably meant nothing was really open yet.

Haley shrugged and leant against the headboard. "I don't know. We could think about all the poor people stuck at school?" Truth was, Haley would have rather been one of those people stuck at school. As sad as it was, she liked school. It took her mind off things and gave her something to do during the day.

"Yeah..or we could go shopping!" Brooke exclaimed while sitting up in excitement. Brooke believed shopping could cure anything; nerves, boredom, anxiousness, or in their case, something to do.

"Brooke," Haley laughed, glancing at the clock. "It's 8:17 in the morning, the malls probably not open yet."

Brooke frowned and tucked a piece of stray hair behind her ear. "True, but it does open at 9, we could go out for breakfast and then go." She smiled triumphantly as Haley smiled nervously. The last time Peyton forced the two to go to the mall together. Brooke ended up ditching Haley for her friends, leaving Haley in another town 45 minutes away. Brooke picked up on the silenced and nudged Haley's foot with hers. "What? Are you embarrassed to be seen with your big sister in public?"

Haley was quick to shake her head. It was the complete opposite. "No, Tiger, it's just," she stuttered, trying to find the right words. She and sighed shrugged when she came up with nothing. "It's nothing."

"Haley," Brooke said in a warning tone. She knew Haley was hiding something. "What is it? And don't tell me nothing, you suck at lying."

"So it seems," Haley mumbled, turning away from Brooke's face. She took a deep breath before turning back around. "I don't know, it's just weird." She finally confessed throwing her hands up in the air.

"What's weird?" Brooke asked in somewhat disappointment. She was really starting to get the impression Haley didn't want to be seen with her.

"This," Haley said while gesturing to the two of them. "Us, it's a little weird, okay? It was like last month you wanted me out of your life and now? Now you want to hang out all of a sudden? If it's only out of pity.."

"Haley." Brooke cut her off, trying to hide the surprise and hurt in her voice. She sighed and shook her head at a loss for words. It was true, all true. At first she pretended to care out of pity. They were family after all.

Judging by the silence her sister created, Haley jumped off the bed and glared at her. "Oh my god, it's true."

Brooke got off the bed and shook her head frantically. "Haley it's not like that at all." She said a bit coldly. Haley blushed and was quick to apologize. "Look, I know it feels weird but you've got to realize, I, Brooke Allison James was a total bitch back then. But Bitch Brooke is gone. For good."

Haley smiled, feeling reassured Brooke was being genuine. "Good. I hated Bitch Brooke. She was mean." Brooke laughed and nodded. It was true after all.

It had been a few hours since the girls went shopping. Haley was still worried they were going to see someone from school. She didn't know how Brooke would react. They headed into Aeropostale and looked around for a bit.

"Brooke!" Theresa called out from behind her. Brooke cringed and turned around to see Claire and Bevin standing behind her.

"Theresa, hi," Brooke said, plastering a fake smile on her face. "What are you doing here? Shouldn't you be in school?"

"I could ask you the same thing." Theresa said looking at Haley. Haley looked away and sighed. _'Here it comes' _she thought. "Some idiot called in a bomb threat so Turner sent us all home. What are you doing here?"

Brooke laughed nervously and looked around. "Oh, you know, just taking the day off."

"And you're spending it with Tutor Girl?" Theresa sneered, making Bevin laugh. "If you joined some adopt a geek program then I think you should have warned us. It must be embarrassing hanging out with a loser like that."

"You know what?" Brooke seethed looking back at Haley. She took a shirt off the rack and forced it into Haley's hands. "Go try that on, Hales," she commanded, pushing her towards the dressing room area.

"Alright, Brooke. I knew you had it in you. It must have been torture hanging out with Tutor Girl all day." Bevin said from behind Theresa.

"Yeah just the thought alone makes me sick." Brooke rolled her eyes. Theresa was a bigger drama queen than she was. Brooke noticed Claire wasn't her usual snarky self, but was too annoyed to comment on it.

"Look, it's okay really. Tutor, Haley's my sister and if you can't accept that then we can't be friends anymore." Theresa and Bevin exchanged glances before bursting into laughter.

"Oh, Brooke. Hanging out with geeks all day is really doing something to your head so we'll see you later." Theresa said with another laugh. Brooke rolled her eyes and watched as Theresa and Bevin left. She noticed Claire was still standing there.

"I suppose you have something to say too? Or did your hoe posse cover everything?"

Claire shook her head, which made Brooke surprised. Claire had a comment about everything and anything. "I think it's nice that you're hanging out with your little sister. My brother told me what happened. I'm really sorry."

"Thanks, Claire," Brooke said, still in disbelief over what she was hearing. Claire smiled back at her and started to walk away. Was it true? Did Claire Young actually have a heart?"

"Oh," she said turning back around, "if you tell anyone I was nice to you, I'll send you to hell in a hand basket."

No guess not..

Brooke rolled her eyes and walked over to the other side of the store, completely forgetting about Haley.

"Brooke?" Haley called out before coming out of the dressing room. She glanced around and sighed sadly when Brooke was nowhere in sight. "Great."

"May I help you?" A sales lady asked, coming over to Haley. "You look a bit lost."

Haley tried her best to muster a smile upon her face. "I was just actually looking for my sister. Have you seen her? She has brown hair and is about your height." The sales lady thought about it for a moment, trying to remember all the brunette clients she had seen.

"I did see a brunette girl leave the store with a another group of girls a minute or two ago"

Haley nodded and smiled. "Oh, thank you." She sighed again and put the shirt back on the rack and walking out the door. "Once again, the smart girl is really stupid," she mumbled to herself, glancing at each store she passed by. Brooke had to be around somewhere. Haley stopped outside of Victoria's Secret. That was Brooke's favorite store so she was bound to be in there.

"Brooke?" Haley called out while stepping into the store. She felt a tap on her shoulder and turned around, thinking it was Brooke. Instead it was Theresa, Claire and Bevin standing behind her. They were the epitome of perfect. Perfect hair, perfect skin, and perfect tan line. They had it all, but Haley knew deep down they were just lost souls trying to keep up with pop culture.

"Tutor Girl?" Theresa said in disbelief. She would have never thought Haley would be in a shop like Victoria's Secret. "Are you a little lost?"

Haley shook her head, trying her best to not let the bitch in front of her get under her skin. Brooke told her numerous times to just ignore them, but somehow Theresa's whiny voice got to her. "_No_," Haley bit back coldly. She wasn't going to let the primadonna in front of her push her around. "I'm just looking around, didn't know that was a problem."

"It's not," Theresa said raising her eyebrow. "But you spending time with Brooke is. Seeing as Claire here has stepped down from her position as co-captain, I'm taking over for a while. And while Brooke is missing practice and games, her captain title is in danger of being ceased. So either you back off, or you'll be sorry." Haley bit her lip in an effort to stop herself from laughing. She had never met anyone more obsessed with cheerleading than Theresa Williams.

"Haley!" Brooke's called out in an annoyed tone. She marched into the store and walked up next to her. "Thanks for leaving me in the store! I thought you were still in the changing room so I went in and nearly gave the woman in there a heart attack." Before Haley could say something, Brooke looked her 'friends' standing in front of her. "Hi, again."

"We were just telling Tutor Girl to back away from you. Brooke, you're missing practices and it's affecting your social life." Theresa said matter-of-factly. Brooke rolled her eyes in utter disgust. She stepped in front of Haley in a protective manner and crossed her arms.

"Let me tell you something, Theresa, the next time you harass my sister, I'll kick you off the team so fast it'll make your head spin."

Theresa looked nervous but quickly shook it off. "You can't do that, Brooke. I'm the new co-captain." She caught Brooke's surprised look and went on with a smirk. "That's right Brookie, Claire here has stepped down and appointed me new co-captain. So this thing between you and me is a partnership. You kick me off, I kick you off, understand?"

Brooke laughed in amusement and watched as Claire rolled her eyes at Theresa. "Theresa, I thought I told you to stop talking out of your ass. It's not very flattering." Brooke said with a grin, patting Theresa on the head as she walked past her. "Come on, Haley." She called out over her shoulder. Haley laughed a little when she saw the look on Theresa's face.

With numerous shopping bags in their hands, the girls finally made it home to a very loud house. Taylor and Mike were arguing about something in the living room but quickly stopped when the front door opened.

"What did Devil Dan want?" Brooke asked the minute she got in. She sat on the couch and propped her legs up on the coffee table. Haley sat further down the couch and crossed her arms.

"Yeah what did he want?"

Mike sighed and looked at each one of his sisters. "Nothing, let's just forget he was here." He took a deep breath as the room became silent. "Um, well seeing as we're all here," his voice began to trail off making the girls nervous. "I, I have to tell you something. It's about Mom and Dad."

Brooke and Haley immediately tensed up while Taylor sighed. She knew this was going to break their hearts, but nevertheless she listened carefully as Mike went on.

"What about them?" Brooke asked quietly, remembering their conversation last night. The last 24 hours were hard and she didn't know how much more she and Haley could take.

"They weren't the people you thought they were." Mike whispered while looking away.

"What are you trying to say?" Brooke asked again. This time she had found her voice and it was not going to be pretty. She glanced at Haley, who was looking at the floor, and looked back at Mike. "Mike, you're scaring me."

"Brooke, just calm down. Let him talk." Taylor said from behind her. Brooke turned around and glared at her.

"No I will not calm down!" She roared, getting off the couch. Haley stared at her nervously and got up too. "What the hell is going on? Why is everyone in this family so damn secretive."

"Just sit down and I'll tell you," Mike demanded, watching the two sit down together with a sulking face. "You want to know the truth? Here's the truth. Mom and Dad weren't on their way to pick Haley up that day. They were on their way to finalize their divorce."

"Divorce?" Brooke asked in disbelief. Her parents would never get a divorce; they were so in love it made her sick. "No, that's not true."

Mike shook his head sadly and looked at Taylor for help. She just shrugged and motioned for him to go on. "It is true. They didn't want you to know until it was final. They had too many problems to deal with."

"Problems?" Haley spoke up for the first time they had came home. She was getting angry and she was going to make her opinion known. "They didn't have problems."

"Haley," Mike groaned in frustration. "They had problems, okay? Dad cheated on Mom numerous times. See? That's why I didn't want to tell you, I knew you'd get upset."

Haley got off the couch and shook her head. She had a nice day and now it was all going to be ruined. "You're lying!" She spat angrily, breathing heavily.

"Haley he's not lying." Taylor said gently from behind her. Haley looked at Brooke for help, but Brooke was still trying to let it all sink in. D-I-V-O-R-C-E. It seemed like a foreign word to her. Most of her friends had divorced parents for the exact same reason as her now.

"Oh, what do you know? You were never around anyways." Haley said bitterly, storming up the stairs in a rage. Brooke winced as the door slammed shut, shaking the whole house. Mike sighed and muttered something under his breath as he left the room.

"Well," Taylor said in an attempt to make conversation with her sister. Brooke looked at her and shrugged.

"I guess it all makes sense. Dad's late nights at work, the constant yelling when we came home from school. And I did catch Dad sneaking out once too." Brooke said, her voice trailing off. Taylor knew she was trying hard not to cry, the both of them hated crying in front of people.

"Brooke, it's okay you know. It's okay to cry. You don't need to be so strong." Taylor said looking at her sister sadly. Brooke took a deep breath and shook her head.

"No, I'm fine. I'm strong as an ox, remember? Can I just ask you a question? Who, who was the woman Dad cheated on Mom with?"

Taylor thought about it for a moment before answering it. She didn't know the woman's exact name, nor she wanted to. "Um, I think it was something like Mary Young? I can't really remember. But she was a total screw up. Raging alcoholic, abused her kids, husband never came home. DSS took the kids away and she ended up in jail somewhere in Alabama."

"Oh my god," Brooke gasped at a loss for words. Taylor looked at her as if she was crazy.

"What did you know her or something?"

"Claire and Christian. Holy shit, they go to school with us. That's why Claire hates me, that's why she gives Haley crap. It all makes sense now."

"Brooke, you're babbling, calm down. Who the heck are Claire and Christian? Her kids?"

"Yeah, her kids. I remember Haley telling me Christian said his mother was an alcoholic and she used to hit him and Claire. This, this is not happening. I need to, I need to go upstairs and, and do something." Taylor watched Brooke make her up the stairs in a state of confusion. The name Christian was ringing through her head. Was it the same guy that hit Haley? She shrugged and followed Brooke up the stairs, hoping to get some answers out of Haley.

"Haley?" She said while gently tapping on the door. Judging by the silence on the other end, Taylor assumed Haley wasn't in the mood for talking. "Haley?" She tried again knocking harder. Brooke walked over and looked at her sadly.

"She won't come out, Tay." Brooke stated while looking down at the floor. "Just leave her alone for now."

Taylor sighed and shook her head. "Brooke, you of all people know she needs someone right now. Please just help?"

"Okay," Brooke muttered before pounding on the door. "Hales, open up." They heard a shuffle and soon the doorknob clicked and Haley opened the door. She looked dazed and confused.

"Leave me alone," She said before closing the door again. But Brooke pushed it open with her hip and went into the room soon followed by Taylor.

"Haley, you're a mess. Just let us help you." Taylor said trying to reason with her youngest sister. She didn't know why she bothered though; Haley was too stubborn to reason with anyone.

"Gee thanks. You really know how to cheer people up when they're feeling down." Haley snapped. "I don't need your pity, so you might as well save the whole 'I'm here for you speech.' You've obviously got Brooke fooled, but not me Taylor."

"Haley!" Brooke said incredulously. "What the hell is your problem?"

"My problem, Brooke? My problem? What the hell do you think my problem is?" Haley bit back coldly. She was in no mood to talk and she sure as hell wasn't going to explain herself for her actions. Taylor walked further into the room and looked at her sister in disbelief.

"Haley, I know you're upset, but there is no need for you to be acting like this. " Taylor said in a caring voice. Haley just rolled her eyes at Taylor's pathetic attempt to pretend to care.

"Save it. You're never around anyways. I'm actually surprised you stuck around this long. What are going to do next? Milk us all for cash then high tail it out of here when we're all asleep."

"Seriously, Haley stop right now." Brooke said lowering her voice. She stared at Taylor hoping she would have the answer, but she didn't. She had no clue what was going on and it was scaring her.

"No," Taylor said closing her eyes. She then realized it was the time to tell them why she went away. Why he sent her away. "Do you want to know why I left? I'll tell you," she said bitterly before leaving the room. She returned seconds later with a picture in her hand. She forced it into Haley's hands and watched as confusion spread across her sister's face.

"Tay, what is this?" Brooke asked taking the picture from Haley's hand. She stared at the little baby in the picture and looked back up at her sister.

"Her name's Emily. She's 4 and a half and lives in Oregon." Taylor said as her eyes welled up with tears.

"Okay," Brooke said confused. "Color me confused, but what does this girl have to do with you leaving?"

"Oh my god," Haley said in disbelief. It was Taylor's daughter, her niece. "She's yours isn't she?"

Taylor let the tears flow down her cheek and nodded. "Well she was. I gave her up for adoption."

"But when did this happen?" Brooke asked, still trying to take it all in. She never heard about Taylor being pregnant or heard her mention it.

"Senior year. It was a stupid mistake. That's why I leave every now and then. I go and see her, I see her." Taylor said before collapsing into a fit of sobs. Haley stood there frozen, realizing her problems seemed so minimal now.

"Who's the father?" Haley asked breaking the silence that lingered in the air. Taylor wiped her eyes and shook her head.

"It doesn't matter-"

"Who's the father?" Haley asked one more time with force. She had a hunch as to who it was and felt her body begin to tremble. "It's him isn't it?" She asked quietly, her eyes beginning to water at the pure thought of Nathan.

"Like I said it was a stupid mistake. Who knew he would get me pregnant on his first time-"

"That monster fathered your child!" Haley yelled out in anger. Taylor nodded and looked down at the ground, her whole world was falling apart and there was nothing she could do to stop it.

"Tay," Brooke said, laying a shaking hand on her sister's trembling shoulder. "Dan Scott sent you away didn't he?"

"He said if I told Nathan that I was pregnant he would, he would expose Dad's affair to you guys. He sent me away to some place in Oregon where they found a nice family to adopt the baby from. I didn't want to go, but he made me."

Brooke and Haley looked at each other, not knowing what to do next. They had never seen Taylor cry so hard before. Brooke noticed Haley was crying too and put her other hand on her shoulder. But Haley shook it off and took a step back.

"I need, I need to go away," Haley said covering her mouth before running out of the room. Brooke tried to stop her but it was no use. She walked over to Taylor and hugged her tight. Everything was piling up on her shoulders and she was starting to break.

Haley walked to the door and quietly slipped out, shutting it behind her. It was a cold spring night and she shivered as she began to walk down the street to the only person who could comfort her at this time.

The bell jingled inside Karen's Café and Karen found herself letting out a heavy sigh. It had been a long day and all she wanted to do was to go home and go to bed.

"I'm sorry, but we're closed." Karen said without even turning around to see who was behind her.

"Karen?" Haley whispered in a broken voice. Karen immediately turned around and felt her heart skip a beat as she saw Haley standing there.

"Haley? What's wrong, honey?" Karen's voice cracked at the sight of the girl in front of her. She was wrapped in a small blanket, her hair was in a messy bun and her eyes were all red and puffy.

"Everything," Haley said before breaking down into tears. Karen quickly took Haley in her arms and gently led her over to the couch. Karen didn't bother to say anything; instead she let Haley sob into her arms and gently stroked her hair.

She rubbed her back comfortingly in hopes of getting the sobs to subside. But with everything Haley had been through it didn't seem like it was going to stop.

"Karen, is everything alright?" Deb asked coming out from the back. She stopped when she saw Haley. "Haley, what's wrong?" She tried to walk over to her but Karen put her hand up and shook her head sadly. Deb nodded and headed back into the kitchen.

"Are you ready to tell me what's wrong?" Karen asked, gently pulling Haley up so she could see her face.

"Did you know about my parents?" Haley whispered, slowly calming down. Karen sighed and nodded. "You knew and you didn't tell me?" Haley yelled, getting off the couch. Deb came out to see what was wrong again.

"Haley, they were just trying to protect you." Karen said, her own voice breaking up. It broke her heart when she found about Lydia and Jimmy, she always thought they were so in love.

"Protect me?" Haley screamed in a fit of rage. "Why does everyone think keeping secrets from me is going to protect me?"

"Haley-" Deb started but was soon cut off.

"Don't you talk to me! Your son did this to me. He did this!" She yelled, tears and tears pouring out of her eyes. "He broke me."

Deb was taken aback and Haley's outburst and confused at the same time. "Honey, what are you talking about? How is this Nathan's fault?"

Haley tilted her head back and then fixed her gazes towards the two women. "Your _perfect_ son tried to rape me, are you happy?"

Both Deb and Karen put their hands over their mouth in shock. They didn't know what to say or do next. Lucas stood at the door contemplating whether or not to go in. He took a deep breath and opened the door, preparing for what she was going to throw at him.

* * *

Well that was it. Although it may be too much drama for one chapter, but oh well. The Brooke story line that I had didn't really fit into this very well so I'm going to save that for later. And just be prepared for a new Haley. It's not going to be pretty. Thanks for reading and reviewing! And I **swear** I won't take as long to update.

Kristin


	17. Letting out the words inside of me

Holy crap. Sorry, between prom/finals/last day of school/graduation I had noo time to write. But the good news is that I'm all yours for the summer. And ooh, this is my first update as a High School graduate! Anyways..

A deep breath was not going to save him. The bell jingled breaking the silent room. That bell used to bring Haley joy. She loved seeing the customers come in and wait patiently for her to serve them. But now that bell brought her despair. It jingled just like Nathan's car keys when he forced himself on top of her.

Lucas quietly shut the door behind him and watched Haley tense up. She made no point of turning around whatsoever. In a way it was good, the last thing he wanted her to do was freak out and run off into the night. It killed him inside to see her like this. Haley was like his little sister and whoever hurt her was going to pay.

"Lucas," Karen cried out at the appearance of her one and only son. His lip was swollen but yet he felt no pain. "What happened to you?" She immediately rushed over and placed her warm hand upon his cheek. Haley continued to have her back towards Lucas; she wasn't ready to face him just yet.

"Nothing," he whispered gently. He would have beaten Nathan to a bloody pulp if it weren't for those two guards holding him back. His brother deserved to be in jail and he was going to see to it.

"_Thank fuck you're here, Luke." Nathan said while being escorted into the same room Haley was in earlier. "Took you long enough," he scoffed, ignoring the pissed off look on his brother's face._

"_What the fuck were you thinking, man?" Lucas said in a husky voice. He was trying to hold himself back but something was telling him that he was going to explode any minute._

"_Sorry?" Nathan said in confusion. "Like I said, wrong place wrong time. Why the hell would I want to hold up a 7-11?" _

_Lucas slammed his hands on the table, not believing a word his brother was saying. Now that he knew the truth there was no way he was letting him out. "Peyton told me what you did."_

_Nathan scratched his head and looked away. "Peyton doesn't know shit."_

"_Don't you lie to me you little prick!" Lucas exploded. "Why did you do it? What did Haley ever do to you?"_

_Nathan relented and sighed. Moments later a smirk broke out upon his face. "Well, she resisted me first of all. Second of all, no man has ever nailed the three James girls. I was going to be the first and if it wasn't for the little bitch I would have."_

"_You bastard," Lucas spat angrily before lunging himself at his former brother. He wrapped his hands tightly around Nathan's neck. Nathan recoiled and kneed him in the groin. He delivered a punch to his face before two guards came rushing in. Lucas held his lip and licked the blood off his lips while Nathan was being led away._

"_Tell Haley I said hello," He called out before disappearing out of Lucas' sight. That bastard was going to pay even if it meant risking his own life to save Haley's._

"But you're bleeding," Karen whispered worriedly. She made an effort to help her son out be he just pushed her away.

"Mom, just leave it," he whispered harshly. Part of him wanted to walk right up to Haley and hold her in his arms and never let go. But he knew she would just scream and pull away. Her whole world was ripped away from her and there was nothing anyone could do about it.

Karen sighed and made her way back over to where Deb was sitting in shock. There was no way her little boy would do something so cruel and sadistic. Sure he had a bad temper, but he could often control it.

"Haley," she started in a shaky voice. She was still trying to register the thoughts going through her mind. "Honey, are you sure he tried, tried to rape you?" She couldn't even say the words.

Dan's word echoed through Haley's mind. _"Michael, you were his age once. You know how teenage boys get. He probably couldn't keep it in his pants, I'm sure little Haley was just confused."_

Confused. She was not confused, she knew what he did to her and if these people couldn't believe her then screw them. "I'm not confused!" She yelled out while staring sadly at the ground.

"I didn't say you were confused, Haley." Deb said trying not to make the situation worse than it already was. "I was just-"

"Just please believe me, Deb." Haley said while looking up with tears in her eyes. Deb looked at the broken teenager and nodded.

"I don't know what else to say, nothing I can say will make up for what he did," Deb said, tears welling up in her eyes. "Haley, I am incredibly sorry." She inched closer and closer to her reaching out for a hug.

Haley wiped her eyes and reluctantly let the blonde woman embrace her. Lucas had found his way into a seat in the corner while Karen stood against the corner trying to stop herself from crying.

"Coffee anyone?" Karen said in a small voice barely over a whisper. Deb pulled back from Haley and wiped her eyes while nodding.

"That would be great, thanks Karen."

Karen smiled and disappeared into the back. Deb stared at Haley, studying her up and down. She was still shaking and her long sleeves stopped at the edge of her fingertips. She went back to staring at the ground again, not bothering to turn around and greet Lucas. She knew he was there but she didn't want to be around him.

Lucas took a deep breath and carefully got out of his chair. He tried to make his way over silently, ignoring the protests from Deb. He stood right behind Haley and closed his eyes. She could feel his hot breath on the back of her neck.

"Hales," He whispered gently, placing his hand on her shoulder. She immediately flinched and turned around. Lucas shut his eyes again and cursed himself for what he had just done. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to."

Haley took a step behind Deb and found herself clinging to her hand. It was sort of ironic, hoping her attackers mother would protect her from her harmless best friend. "What, what happened to your lip?" She asked quietly, still keeping her distance.

Lucas waved his hand signaling it wasn't a big deal. "Don't worry-"

"You want and saw him didn't you?" Haley cut him off before he told her not to worry. "Didn't you," she said more harshly.

"I had to-" Lucas tried to get in to explain himself but Haley wouldn't let him.

"Why?" Haley yelled loudly. "It's only going to make things worse!" Deb tried to calm her down by gently pulling her away from him but Haley stood her ground.

"Haley I was trying to make him pay for what he did to you," Lucas said, his voice suddenly rising in anger. "I'm sorry," his tone dropping to a low whisper, "how about I take you home? I bet your sisters are worried about you."

Haley shook her head and turned away from him. "I don't want you to take me home, Luke. I, I just want you to stay away from me."

Even though the words hurt like hell, Lucas didn't budge. "Haley, you don't mean that. I know you're upset and everything, but it's me, buddy. It's Lucas. I would never hurt you, I promise." He looked towards Deb for some sort of help but she just shook her head sadly, feeling Haley's grip on her hand tighten.

"Please, just leave me alone," Haley stated one more time, tears rolling down her cheeks. "Can you please just accept that?" Lucas sighed. His brother had really broken her and it was killing him slowly inside. He nodded but advanced towards her. All he wanted was a hug goodbye and he wasn't going to leave until he got one.

He came closer and closer throwing Haley into a deeper panic than she already was. She moved to the other side of Deb hoping Lucas would stop right where he was. Without even thinking, she let go of Deb's hand and bolted right out the door.

Lucas wanted to go after her but Deb held him back. "Just leave her, Lucas. I'm going to call Brooke and let her know what's up."

But he couldn't leave her. He didn't want to leave her. Her words ran through his mind over and over again. "_I, I just want you to stay away from me. Please, just leave me alone."_

Haley ran as fast as she could, farther and farther away from the café. For some unexplainable reason, she felt like Lucas was the one hurting her. He had Nathan's eyes and it scared her every time she looked into them. 10 minutes later she found herself standing in front of her parent's grave.

It was all a lie now. Her father never loved her mother. Her father never loved her. No one did. They all pretended like they did, but they really didn't. She was just a naïve, vulnerable young woman everyone had to look after.

"It was all a lie, wasn't it? You lied to me. All these years I blamed myself for your death when all along it was your own fault. I sat in my room all day feeling sorry for myself because I caused so much heartache and pain. Now, my life seems so worthless, so senseless. Living in denial for the past 5 years.

"How could you do it? Why would you do it? You always told me that you'd be here for me no matter what. Well that's another lie. Where were you when I hit puberty? Where were you when I had my first date back in 10th grade? And where the hell were you when Nathan Scott tried to rape me? You were gone.

"And now Brooke has to spend every waking hour making sure I'm okay. Making sure that no one is picking on me. Making sure I get my life back on track. Because of your useless lies and dirty games. It's all because of you. You made me who I am. Useless, scared, vulnerable. When you died, I felt myself begin to break. And now with Nathan, I'm completely broken.

"Broken. Do you hear that? Your 'little girl' is broken into millions of tiny pieces, scattered everywhere. And those pieces will just fade away as my miserable life continues. My heart continues to beat, but I am dead inside. Dead because of you. Did you hear that too? D-E-A-D, dead.

"And I bet you're just tossing and turning in your grave right now. Lying beneath me, trying to ignore my words. I know you can hear me. You always said the dead could hear you. Well hear me when I say this; I hate you. I hate you, and I'm glad you're dead."

Seconds later, Haley launched into a fit of hysteria and began to kick the headstone in front of her. It didn't matter anymore. "I hate you," she said over and over until she felt they got it. She kicked and punched the grave until she could feel her foot no more. She punched it until her knuckles started to bleed.

"I hate you," she whispered one last time before sinking to the grass.

"Oh god, Haley," Brooke cried out from behind her. She ran over to her sobbing sister and knelt down beside her. "What happened?" She had just witnessed the whole thing and was surprised at her outburst. She never knew Haley would say something like that, especially to her deceased parents. "Deb called me and told me what happened." She wanted to cry right along with her sister, but she couldn't. She was the 'strong one'. The one that held it together, the one who put everyone else before herself. No one ever asked her if she was okay, it was only her who asked if everyone else was. Brooke James was strong as an ox. Or so she thought.

"Haley, talk to me," she whispered in fright. Haley didn't even bother to look up at her when she first got there. Haley sniffled and crawled away, curling up into a little ball. She didn't care if the dirt was going to get on her. "Okay," Brooke mumbled to herself while getting up. She walked over to Haley and stood over her. "Haley, please." She shut her eyes, trying to block out the sobs escaping from her sister.

Haley looked up at Brooke and sat up, leaning against a random headstone. "Please what, Brooke?" She said in the same tone to Lucas earlier. Brooke sighed and sat down next to her. "If you only came here to tell me it's all going to be okay, then let me spare you the speech, I'm not buying it."

"That's not why I'm here," Brooke started out slowly. She knew Haley was in some sort of mood swing and was trying to choose her words carefully. "I came here because I was worried about you being out here all alone."

"Thanks, but I'm not alone. I'm surrounded by hundreds of dead people." Haley deadpanned, wiping the last tear that fell from her eyes. Brooke rolled her eyes and sighed.

"Hales, I'm trying to be serious here. Just bear with me, okay?" Haley mumbled something incoherently. Brooke took that as a yes and went on. "I know it's hard, dealing with all this. I can't even imagine what you're going through. But you know I'm here for you. Whenever you need me, I'll be right there."

"Why does God hate us?" Haley asked in a serious voice. "It's bad enough he took our parents. Then come to find out they were filing for divorce. What did we ever do to him?"

"Nothing. But for some strange reason, fate's funny like that. He's throwing all these things at us to make us stronger. Because whatever doesn't kill you well makes you stronger."

Haley rolled her eyes and stood up, glancing at her parent's headstone one more time. "Yeah well, all he seems to be doing is screwing up my life."

Brooke got up and walked over to her sister, gently grabbing her arm. "You can't blame this on him, Haley. It's not his fault, it's Nathan's."

Haley's eyes welled up with tears for the umpteenth time tonight. "Don't, don't bring him into this. Don't even say his name."

"I'm sorry-"

Haley put her hand up in protest and shook her head. "Just leave me alone, please? Go back to what you did before and ignore me. At least I made some sense of my life back then."

Brooke ignored Haley's comment and changed the subject. "Lucas told me what happened tonight. He's really upset." Haley shrugged and stared at the ground, trying to hold in her tears. "Haley," she started slowly carefully walking over to her sister. She knew she was still sensitive to the touch. "Just stay right there, I'm just going to hug you," she whispered gently right before Haley fell into her arms. They both sank to the ground in hopes of finding some comfort. Brooke again tried to stop the tears from flowing down her face. She rubbed Haley's back in comfort, hoping she would calm down soon enough. It was just past 10 and she was starting to get a little nervous.

"Sssh, just let it all out," Brooke whispered in a comforting voice. She shifted Haley so that she was now sitting on her lap, head buried into her shoulder. Brooke rested her head on Haley's shoulder and began to cry herself. She couldn't hold it in any longer.

"I told them I hated them," Haley whispered in a shaky voice, "I kicked their grave and everything."

"I know you did, I heard you," Brooke said, trying to cover up her nasal voice. Haley held her sister tighter, in hopes of calming her down. "You were just upset." Brooke began before stopping when she heard footsteps.

"Thought you girls might need this," Karen said, handing the two teenagers a warm blanket. She wrapped it around them and joined them on the ground, glancing around all the headstones. "Graveyards always creep me out." Karen's makeup was streaked down her face but both girls didn't bother saying anything. "Your parent's never meant to hurt you. They only wanted what's best."

Brooke forced a smile and loosened her grip on Haley. Karen was in no way ever a threat to her sister and wasn't in need of a bodyguard just yet. "I know, but it's still a little shocking." Haley turned away from Karen, who sighed. "Sorry," She mouthed to her.

"Taylor called me just now," Karen said quickly changing the subject. "She was ready to send out a search party for you two. But, I told her I'd find you and bring you back. So if you're ready.."

"Are you ready, Hales?" Brooke asked, pulling Haley away from her so she could see her. Haley nodded and got up, letting the blanket slip right off her.

"Just give me a minute," She whispered, gesturing for Brooke and Karen to go in front of her.

"Come on, Brooke," Karen said, gently pulling Brooke away from Haley. Brooke wanted to stay but Karen knew she wanted to be alone.

Haley walked back over to her parent's headstone and knelt down in front of it. She gathered all the flowers surrounding it and moved it to the undecorated one next to them. "You don't deserve them," she whispered harshly before making her way over to Brooke and Karen.

"You guys go ahead, I'll be right there," Brooke said, watching Karen lead Haley away. Brooke sighed and walked backed over to the headstone. She picked the flowers up and put them back into their original place. "She doesn't mean what she said. She's just a little angry," she said before staring up into the night sky. "Just lay off her please?"

She took a deep breath and ran to catch up with Karen and Haley. Even though it killed her to see her sister suffer through all this pain, it made Brooke realize how badly she was to her. She was going to fix it all once they got to school. Starting with her 'friends'.

So yeah, I guess that's it. Not too much happened really. I just wanted to ask something. A couple people mentioned something about Taylor getting Emily back, I actually have a storyline with her if you guys would want to see that? It ties in with Haley's new behavior..which will start towards the end of the next chapter. Anyways, tell me what you think about that and I'll get my ass started on another update.


	18. The weak will seek the weak

_Thanks for the reviews! I think that's the most I've gotten on a chapter :) Also to **Cait**, congrats on graduating too in however many more days. It doesn't hit you until the next week or so! Anyways onto the next chapter:_

* * *

"I don't need bodyguards," Haley commented as Peyton pulled up to the school. Brooke got out from the front seat and opened the door for her sister. "Guys, I'm serious!" She quickly added in as Peyton stood next to Brooke. 

Brooke snorted and watched Haley get out of the car. "That's the understatement of the year." She shut the door and linked her arms with Haley's. Peyton joined her on the other side and did the same. Haley sighed as the two girls practically dragged her up the walkway. "We're going to be on your cute little ass like a fly on the, wherever flies are," she looked at Peyton for some help.

"On the wall, Brooke," Peyton said with a laugh.

"Right," Brooke said pointing her finger at Peyton, "we're going to be on your ass like a fly on the wall." Haley rolled her eyes and stopped dead in her tracks once they got to the front of the building. It had been at least a week and a half before she decided to go back to school. She was getting bored at home and Brooke was starting to drive her nuts. She knew she was just doing it out of love, but Brooke didn't know when to stop.

She took a deep breath and tried to get out of the death grip the girls beside her had her in. "Okay, maybe this was a bad idea." She took a step backwards but was quickly pulled back to her first position by Peyton and Brooke.

"Come on, Haley," Peyton said in a comforting tone. "It's going to be okay." Haley looked at Peyton and realized she was telling the truth. Maybe it was all going to be okay. After all, Peyton was pretty trustworthy.

"Yeah," Brooke added in, beginning to walk up the steps. Peyton and Haley did the same. They unlinked arms and Brooke opened the door, following the girls as they went in. "Besides, if someone says anything to you, I'll kick their ass," she grinned proudly, breathing a sigh of relief when Haley let out a little laugh.

The three girls walked down the hall, arms linked together again. The mess of kids in the hallway began to stare. Haley felt all the eyes on her and began to panic. She took a deep breath and started to walk faster than the other two, causing Brooke and Peyton to jerk forward with her. The word spread around school pretty quickly courtesy of Olivia Jones. Her father was the police chief and he had asked her about Nathan Scott. Unfortunately for Haley, Olivia was the biggest gossiper in the school. Brooke told her to ignore the looks and she did as Brooke said.

"Okay," Brooke said while fiddling with her locker combination. Peyton rolled her eyes and pushed her out of the way, opening the locker within a second. "Thanks, Blondie. Okay so, I've got this all figured out."

"What do you mean?" Haley raised an eyebrow, trying to avoid the stares and sympathetic smiles people were giving her. "Brooke, what are you planning to do?"

"Nothing!" Brooke exclaimed trying best to cover her smile and must an innocent face. "I took it upon myself to transfer me and Peyton,"

"Peyton and I," Haley corrected. Brooke rolled her eyes. Haley was slowly beginning to go back to her old self, correcting other people's grammar; something that annoyed the hell out of Brooke.

"Right, Peyton and I," Brooke mumbled, continuing with the story, "I took the liberty to transfer Peyton and **I** into all of your classes!" She squealed in excitement, and Peyton became wide-eyed.

"They let you do that?" Peyton asked, raising an eyebrow. She had to admit, school would be much better if she got to spend every class with the James girls. She knew Brooke needed all the help she could get to help keep Haley sane.

"Of course they did. Mr. Daniels owed me a favor anyways." Brooke looked at Haley, who stood there speechless.

"So let me get this straight," Haley said while scratching her head, "you transferred into **all** of my classes? Like every single one?"

Brooke nodded with a huge smile on her face. "You're going to be seeing our pretty faces all day, babe!"

"Great," Haley mumbled, leaning her head against the locker. It was bad enough Brooke followed her around at home. Now she would have to go through it at school too. "You guys do realize I'm in AP English, right?"

Peyton looked at Brooke in shock. This was not sitting well with her. The less work she had to do the better. "Brooke! I can't believe you put me in AP English! I can barely survive regular English."

Brooke made a face and tried to look as innocent as possible. "Whoops?" Peyton groaned and banged her head against the locker. "I'm sorry! I forgot she's really smart. Besides, isn't Jake in your class?" Haley nodded, making Peyton smile.

"Oh, okay then," Peyton said with a smile. Haley smiled too. She thought about it for a minute and realized maybe it wasn't going to be so bad after all. She always wondered what it would be like to hang out with Brooke and Peyton at school. Now she was going to live it. The bell ran signaling the start of first period. Which was now French class for Brooke.

"Come on, guys, we don't want to be òn rétard for classe de français." Peyton said looking at Haley, who nodded. Brooke looked confused.

"Did you just call us a retard?" She asked in astonishment. At least she thought she said retard. Haley laughed and realized her sister was going to die in this class.

"Brooke, it's means late. No one called you a retard." Haley said reassuringly. Brooke smiled and nodded, realizing she didn't know a word of French. "Do you know any French?"

"Um," Brooke said turning away, trying to think of something to say. "Oh! Yes I do! Whatever they said in that Lady Marmalade song. Voulez vous coucher avec moi ce soir or whatever."

"Brooke, don't say that to the teacher." Peyton said quickly. Brooke rolled her eyes and shrugged.

"I know what it means, idiot. It drove Luke nuts," Brooke said, wiggling her eyebrows. Haley turned away at the mention of Lucas' name. She tried to shake it off while the girls walked up the stairs to class. The teacher was aware of what happened and the changes in Brooke's schedule. She tried to give Brooke a beginner's book to get her familiar with some of the stuff, but it was way over her head.

"And they call that the language of love?" Brooke commented as they moved onto their next class. "It just sounds like incoherent mumbling and gibberish combined. You better be grateful for this, Haley."

"Brooke, I didn't ask you to switch into of all my classes. I don't need you to babysit me," Haley snapped all of a sudden. She sighed and went back to her usual tone. "Sorry, it's just I'm a little on the edge here, going back to school. I can't take all this attention." Brooke looked around and realized a few people were staring at them. She put her arm around Haley's shoulder and led her away before she got too upset.

"Can you just give her a break?" Peyton said, while walking up to the group of people staring. They all nodded nervously and elbowed each other to speak up.

"Is it true?" One girl asked while the others nodded their heads. Peyton nodded too, leaving it at that. She walked away, glancing at her feet now and then. Haley was going to have a tough rest of the school year and she had to be there for her as much as possible.

…

Peyton and Brooke looked like they had just seen a ghost once they walked out of English class an hour later. "We have to read this whole book tonight?" Peyton said, flipping through the book. It looked like it could be used for a doorstop, not for reading.

Haley nodded while laughing slightly. She enjoyed watching the two squirm throughout the whole class. "It's not that bad. It's pretty interesting actually. Bit slow at first, but it picks up during the 4th chapter."

"You've read this before?" Brooke asked, shoving her copy of 'Emma' into her bag. Haley nodded while biting her nails.

"I read it last year."

"Good!" Peyton and Brooke said in unison. "You can just tell us what happened so we can skip the torture. Peyton flipped through the pages and made a face while reading one of the paragraphs out loud. "Emma spared no exertions to maintain this happier flow of ideas, and hoped, by the help of backgammon, to get her father tolerably throughout the evening."

Brooke groaned as Haley stopped outside the bathroom.

"Can I go to the bathroom myself?" Haley asked hopefully.

"Well, duh," Brooke said waving her off as if it wasn't a big deal. "I'll just wait outside the stall," Brooke said quickly, following her in but was quickly pulled back out by Peyton.

"Relax, Brooke. I'm sure she'll be fine in the bathroom alone." Peyton said, still skimming through the pages.

"P. Sawyer, put that thing away," Brooke said snatching the book out of her best friend's hand. "People are going to think you actually read," she teased while Peyton made a face. Haley emerged a few seconds later with a smile on her face.

"Now, did that kill you?" She asked Brooke, who shook her head and smiled. The girls made their way towards Math class, not looking forward to it at all.

"Brooke!" Theresa called out from behind them. Brooke groaned and turned around. "Jesus, Brooke where the hell have you been?" Peyton led Haley into the classroom and Brooke rolled her eyes.

"Look, I've had some personal problems, okay? You just need to give me some time." Brooke said looking Theresa right in the eye. She figured Theresa heard what happened seeing as the whole school was talking about it. Anything to do with Nathan Scott got around quickly.

"I understand that, but Brooke, the squad is falling apart without you. Practice isn't the same without you there."

"I know, but I need to take a break from cheering, can you just understand that? Haley needs me right now and she's my top priority."

Theresa frowned and tugged at her hair. At the mention of Haley's name she got angrier and angrier. "Since when is Tutor Girl your top priority? We've always made fun of her and now you're going all buddy buddy with her. Has she brainwashed you or something?"

Brooke bit her lip trying to stop herself from lunging at the girl in front of her. "Look, Theresa I need to get to class," she snapped turning around on her heel, "I'll talk to you at lunch." Theresa sighed, trying to figure out how to get Brooke back. It almost seemed too easy. First she was going to mess with Haley's head and turn her into the person Brooke used to be. She grinned and made her way into the class, giving Peyton, Brooke and Haley a smug look.

"What the hell crawled up her ass?" Peyton asked, taking the empty seat behind Haley. Brooke sat down next to her and shook her head.

"Whatever it was, it probably died up there too. She smells like hot, wet garbage." Both Peyton and Haley wrinkled their nose in disgust and listened as Mrs. Mason began the class.

…

"Sit there," Brooke commanded, pointing to the empty seat that was next to her. Peyton took her normal seat across from Brooke and laughed. Haley was reluctant to sit down. The last time Brooke invited her to sit with them, she ended up kicking her stuff under the table, allowing the cheer nazi to sit down.

"Isn't someone sitting there?" Haley asked shyly, clutching her books closer to her chest and the other cheerleaders began to fill up the large table. Brooke rolled her eyes at her sister's reluctantly and got up from the table. She walked over to Haley and grabbed her hand, yanking her to the seat. She sat her down and patted her on the head like she was a dog.

"It's only Theresa. And I would much rather have you then her sit there. She smells like-"

"Brooke, we know," Peyton said, putting her hand up in hopes of stopping Brooke from finishing her sentence.

"What is this?" Theresa snapped from behind them. Haley looked at Peyton in fear and closed her eyes, hoping to avoid this conversation. "Um, Tutor Girl you're in my damn seat."

Brooke got up and glared at Theresa. "Hey, it's not **your** seat. It's Haley's seat now."

Theresa glared right back, in hopes of cracking Brooke. She was able to do it once before, she figured she could do it again.

"But, Brooke," her voice suddenly turning sweet, "I usually sit next to you. We've been doing it since 6th grade."

"Well this isn't 6th grade anymore, honey. I want my sister so sit here so you can please just find another seat?" Brooke tried to be nice but with Theresa you couldn't be nice. Haley was getting fed up with this banter and was on the verge of exploding.

"Brooke-"

"Jesus Christ, take your god damn fucking seat!" Haley yelled, before grabbing her books and storming away from all the drama. Theresa pretended to be offended and slammed her lunch tray on the table.

"Well that was rude," she bitched before sitting down. Brooke put her hand down, causing Theresa to jump up the second she felt her touch. "Brooke," she laughed in amusement. "Come on, she's gone now, you don't have to pretend to be nice." But Brooke didn't budge. Instead she put her books down on the seat.

"Go find another seat, Theresa, this one's taken," her voice was low and cold but she didn't give a damn. She had let Theresa hurt Haley so many times in the past. It was all ending now and she needed to make sure Theresa knew it. Theresa rolled her eyes before storming away, Bevin and another cheerleader right behind her.

Haley sat in the bathroom stall, trying to stop the tears falling down her cheeks. She was many things, but strong was not one of them. She sniffled when she heard the door open, freezing in her current position.

"Who the hell does she think she is!" Theresa bitched, checking out her makeup in the mirror. Haley's eyes widened at the sound of her voice.

"Just ignore her," Bevin said while doing the same, "she'll get over the 'be nice to Tutor Girl phase' eventually. After all, Nathan did try to rape her. I'm sure she's just going to help her through this and turn back into her regular self until little Haley is better."

Haley began to tremble as they continued to talk about her and Brooke. They knew all about Nathan and they were going to throw it into her face as much as possible, until they broke what was left of her. It wasn't much, but they were definitely going to do it.

"Please," Theresa scoffed while running a brush through her hair, "I bet she's making it up to get us to leave her alone."

And the tears fell right down Haley's cheeks one after the other. She buried her head into her arms to try and muffle the sobs escaping her.

"And the whole 'boo hoo my parent's died' routine is getting old too. They're dead, get over it and move on."

Bevin made a face and sighed. That was low, even for Theresa. "Now that was mean."

Theresa shrugged it off like it was no big deal.

"Well I am mean."

Haley heard the two stalls next to her slam shut and carefully peeked out the door to make sure the two cheerleaders were nowhere in sight. She took a quick glance in the mirror and realized her eyes were all red and puffy. She wiped them quickly and splashed her face with water before running out of the bathroom and straight into Brooke and Peyton.

"Hales?" Brooke questioned as her sister emerged from the bathroom. Her heart skipped a beat when she realized her sister was crying. "What happened?"

Haley quickly wiped her eyes with her sleeve and tried to brush it off. "N-nothing," she stuttered, hoping Theresa and Bevin wouldn't come out of the bathroom. "I just want to go home."

Brooke frowned, realizing that was impossible. "You can't go home, Haley. We've still got 2 hours of school left. Are you sure nothing happened?" She knew Haley was lying but outside in the courtyard was no place to call her out on it.

As if on cue, Theresa and Bevin came out of the bathroom looking satisfied with their last conversation. Brooke glanced back at them and back at Haley, putting the pieces together. "What did they say?" She asked, gripping Haley by the shoulders and looking her straight in the eye.

Haley sniffled and her eyes began to well up with tears again. "They, they said that I was making the whole thing about Nathan up." Brooke handed Haley to Peyton and ran to catch up with Theresa and Bevin. Peyton kept a tight grip on Haley and waited for Brooke's next move.

"Theresa!" Brooke called out in a fake voice. Theresa turned around and smiled, figuring Brooke had come to apologize.

"Hey Brooke, what's up?" She asked like nothing happened. Brooke's smile soon turned to a frown and the next thing Theresa knew she was pinned up against the wall. Bevin's eyed widened in horror.

"You think she's making this up?" Brooke seethed, glaring right at Theresa. There was no way in hell she was going to let her get away with this. She was done with them and they were going leave Haley alone once and for all.

"Brooke, stop, you're hurting me." Theresa whined, trying to loosen Brooke's grip. But her grip only got tighter and she dug her fingernails into Theresa's arms. "Okay, okay, I'm sorry Brooke!"

Brooke started to breath heavy before finally releasing her grip. Theresa rubbed her arms in pain and looked at Brooke in disbelief. "I swear on my parent's grave, if you ever, ever hurt my sister like you did just now, I'll hurt you so bad you won't even know what hit you."

What felt like forever, the end of the school day finally came. Haley had convinced Brooke after lunch that she was going to be okay and said she would meet her outside because Peyton and Brooke had to stay after in Math to get the work they had missed.

"Haley?" Theresa said nicely as possible. Haley turned around to see her and Bevin standing behind her. "Hey."

"Hey," Haley whispered back, running her hands through the glass. "If you've come to make fun of me you might want to hurry up. Brooke and Peyton should be here any minute now."

"I just want to say that I'm sorry," Haley turned around again with a surprised look. Was Theresa actually apologizing to her? "I didn't mean what I said and I was wondering if you wanted to go to the mall with me and Bevin."

Haley couldn't believe her ears, were they actually inviting her to hang out with them? But before she could answer, Brooke came storming over with Peyton in tow. She pulled Haley up off the ground and pushed her behind her. "I thought I said to leave my sister alone," Brooke said, waiting for a smartass comment to come out of their mouths.

"Relax, Brooke, we're just apologizing to Haley," Bevin said, "and we want her to come to the mall with us."

"She's not going to the mall with you," Brooke scoffed, grabbing Haley's arm and leading her away from the two. "Come on, Haley."

Haley took a deep breath. "No," she said firmly, making sure she got her point across. "I want to go to the mall with them," she said quietly. Brooke looked at her in disbelief and realized she was telling the truth.

"Fine," she mumbled, pushing her towards her two ex-friends. Theresa smiled and put her arm around Haley, leading her away from Brooke and Peyton and towards the few other cheerleaders that were waiting for them. Their plan was now beginning.

"Are you sure you're okay with that?" Peyton asked while they headed for her car. Brooke shook her head, unsure of her decision.

"If that's what she wants, then that's what she wants."

…

It was now almost 10:00 and Brooke was starting to get worried. She went into the bathroom and washed her face for the 10th time that night. She knew it was a bad idea to let Haley go to the mall. For all she knew she was probably tied up somewhere and left for dead. Brooke sighed and made her way out of the bathroom, Haley walking past her.

"Hey," she said, making Haley stop outside her bedroom door and turn around.

"Oh, hey. Sorry I got home so late, we went out for dinner afterwards," she placed the shopping bags down beside her and waited for Brooke's reaction.

Brooke smiled and nodded. "Oh, that's okay. It would have been nice if you called but it's okay." Haley rolled her eyes at Brooke's protectiveness. "How was Adolf Hitler and the cheer nazis?"

Haley sighed, realizing this new friendship wasn't going to sit well with her sister. "They're not that bad if you get to know them, Tigger."

Brooke laughed and leant against the wall, "I do know them and trust me, they are horrible people." But before Brooke could launch into another lecture, Haley picked up her bags and opened her bedroom door.

"Whatever. I'm going to bed, good night," Haley went into the room with Brooke in tow. She turned around and gave her sister a weird look. "What are you doing?"

Brooke returned Haley's weird look and laughed. "Um, doing what we do every night? Tucking you in."

"Brooke I'm not a baby," Haley laughed, "I don't need you to tuck me in anymore." She watched as Brooke's face fell and waited for her to leave. "Good Night," she said as Brooke stood there.

"Oh, right. Good Night," Brooke mumbled before walking out of the room with a sad face. She shut the door behind her and sighed.

"Brooke? What's wrong with you? You look like you just saw a ghost or something," Taylor asked walking up next to her.

"Huh? Oh, it's nothing I'm fine. I think Haley just grew up, that's all."

Taylor shook her head sympathetically. "Oh," she patted her shoulder before walking down the hall and down the stairs. Brooke sighed again and made her way into her room, trying to think of some excuse to go and check on Haley. She spotted Mr. Waffles on the floor and smiled, picking up the teddy bear.

"You left him in my room," she said while opening the door to Haley's room. Haley quickly threw her shirt over her head and glared at her sister.

"Jesus, Brooke don't you knock? I could have been naked or something!" Haley exclaimed making Brooke laugh.

"Relax, I only came into give you this." Brooke held out Mr. Waffles but Haley to take, but she wasn't moving.

"Oh, um, I don't need that thing anymore." Haley said, making Brooke frown. "Good night again for like the 10th time tonight." Brooke sadly walked out of her room and back into her own, collapsing on the bed.

"Well Mr. Waffles, it looks like it's just you and me tonight," she mumbled to the teddy bear in front of her. His black eyes stared back at hers. He was now going to be her comfort during the night, not Haley. She threw the covers on her and clutched Mr. Waffles tightly to her chest.

Hours later, Brooke found herself still awake, tossing and turning as the night went on. She sat up in bed and banged her head against the wall in frustration.

"Brooke?" Haley's voice called out from the doorway. Brooke smiled and opened her covers, waiting for Haley to come in.

"Yeah?" She said getting her hopes up that Haley was going to come running to her any minute now.

"Can you stop banging your head against the wall? The walls aren't sound proof you know."

"Oh," Brooke's smile turned into a deep frown, "sorry." She watched as Haley nodded and disappeared back into her own room. She took Mr. Waffles out from underneath the covers and laid him next to her, pulling the covers up on top of him.

"Goodnight, Haley," she mumbled, draping her arm over the teddy bear next to her. It was true indeed, her little sister was growing up and she wasn't looking forward to the days ahead of her.

* * *

_Okay, so please don't hate me for that. It's only going to last 4 chapters at the most. And I haven't forgotten about Christian. I know exactly how I want Brooke to find out about that. So look for that in the next chapter or two. And about the whole Taylor thing, i'm not going to actually show her getting Emily, I'm just going to have her come in the next 2 chapters or so. But my main focus is of course Brooke/Haley. Anyways for like the 10th time thanks for the reviews and please keep them coming._

_And for shamless promotion, please check out my new story **Lonely no more**. It's mainly Brooke/Lucas but there's also a focus on Brooke/Peyton/Haley because, what's not to love about their friendship?_

_Kristin_


	19. Everybody hurts sometimes

"This is nice," Brooke smiled while linking her arm with Lucas'. The two strolled down the sidewalk admiring the water that surrounded the rivercourt.

"It is," Lucas smiled back, happy to be with his girlfriend. With everything that happened in the past few weeks he barely had any time to spend with her. She was either with Haley, at cheerleading or just not available. They sat on the bleachers and watched as Skills, Fergie and Mouth came over to them.

"Hey, what's up dawg?" Skills asked while knocking fists with Lucas. "Haven't seen you in a while. Now that the season's over, we figured you'd be down here more often."

Lucas looked at Brooke and shrugged. "Just been busy, that's all."

"Busy?" Fergie asked, raising his eyebrow and the couple sitting in front of them. Brooke reached over and hit him in the arm and laughed. "Just playing, relax princess. Hey Luke, you want to play a game? 2 on 2, we'll give you Mouth because you know, he sucks."

"No thanks, man," Lucas laughed and put his arm around Brooke. "My Woman and I need to talk." Brooke looked at him weirdly and waited for the three guys in front of them left to say something.

"Your woman?" Brooke asked with a smug look. "I didn't realize I was your property." Lucas laughed lightly and took a deep breath. "Broody, say something here, you're killing me."

"It's hard to say," Lucas explained using his hands for affect, "I guess I just need a break from things."

Brooke nodded her head in agreement and glanced at her boyfriend for a quick second before fixing her gaze towards the river. "I know what you mean. Between school and Theresa's post season cheering practice it's all very stressful. And with everything that's going on with Haley, it's all very hard to fathom."

"Fathom?" Lucas asked with a raised eyebrow. He wasn't really paying attention to anything she was saying before until he heard that word.

"Yeah. It means understand," Brooke said slowly as if she was talking to a child.

"I know what it means, question is, how do you know what it means?"

Brooke shrank in her seat embarrassedly and turned away. "I'm in AP English now."

Lucas looked at her in disbelief and bit his lip to stop himself from laughing. "How are you in AP English. No offense, but baby, you barely survive in level one English."

"I know," Brooke agreed, nodding her head, "but I had my schedule switched so I could be with Haley all the time during school. I just want to make sure she's okay and no one says anything to her."

"Don't you think you're being a little overprotective?" Lucas questioned, quickly regretting it after he saw the look Brooke shot him.

"No," she shot back defensively, "I don't think so. You of all people should be happy. You and Peyton tried so hard to get us to be friends and now that we are, it seems like you're jealous."

Lucas was in no mood for a fight, but with the way things were going it looks like a fight was going to break out in any second. "Oh yeah, I'm jealous," he shot back sarcastically, "jealous that you spend every waking moment making sure your sister doesn't get hurt. Pain is real, it's not something you can prevent, no matter how hard you try." Bitterness dripped with every word he spoke to his girlfriend. He was jealous and there was nothing he could do to help it.

Brooke stared at him in silence, trying to take in what he had just said to her. "You know something, Lucas? You're being really damn selfish right now. If it wasn't for the bastard you call a brother, I wouldn't be in this position right now."

"Don't you call my brother a bastard," Lucas said, finding himself raising his hand above his head. He quickly took it down when Brooke remained in the same position, not bothering to flinch.

"Real classy, Luke. Hitting a girl, I'm sure that would get you more attention." She stood up and made her way to the pavement, noticing Skills, Fergie and Mouth were staring at them. They quickly turned away when they saw her glare at them.

They sat in silence, listening to the rush hour traffic coming their way. Their eyes finally met after a few minutes of silence. "Choose," Lucas whispered, barely being heard over the noise.

"Excuse me?"

"I said choose, Brooke," Lucas yelled, standing up in front of her. "Me or her. This can't go on anymore. God damn it, Brooke, she's tearing us apart here."

Within seconds, Lucas felt a slap across his cheek. "Who the hell are you to say that to me? You just can't accept the fact that your superstar brother screwed up and that Haley is afraid to go near you. It's typical for someone who was nearly raped."

He rubbed his cheek and tried to ignore the stinging sensation it brought to his face. "Nathan's a good guy and you know it. You know what? I bet Haley was leading him on, she not as innocent as you think she is." And another slap was delivered to his face, but he went on. "I bet she is making this whole thing up to get your attention. It's a cry for help and using Nathan as a scapegoat, that's pretty low if you ask me."

"Well no one asked you, you prick. You know what? For a second I thought of choosing you because you're the only guy who actually cared about me and loved me for me, not because I was easy in bed. But god you proved me wrong. You are just like everyone else, a no good bastard like your brother and I hope he rots in jail. We're done," Brooke spat with pure hatred ignited in her raspy voice. Lucas screamed and kicked the bench in frustration, watching as Brooke stormed away.

Brooke walked the crowded streets, weaving her way in and out of the people. She always promised herself she would never cry over a boy. But Lucas Scott was different. He actually liked her and respected her, not like the others guys that just used her for sex. True, she was easy when she was drunk, but she had feelings too. And losing her virginity to the monster known as Nathan Scott was nothing to be proud of. She sighed and shook her head, ridding the thoughts that popping up. Lucas and Peyton tried so hard to get her to be nice to Haley and for him to say those things was like a slap in the face.

"_Brooke," Lucas coaxed glancing at Haley sitting at a table by herself. Theresa had just grabbed the book out of Haley's hand and dangled it in front of her face. "Don't do this, Brooke. Don't let Theresa win."_

_Brooke pretended to look away and started to talk to Bevin. Peyton turned her around and made her look at what was going on. "Brooke James I swear to god if you don't go do something I will kick your ass," Peyton threatened making sure her point was getting across. _

"_If Brooke doesn't want to go over there, then she doesn't have to," Bevin said, defending Brooke. She wasn't the sharpest tool in the shed, but she seemed to have some sort of influence on Brooke's decision making._

"_Thank you, Bevin," Brooke smiled at the cheerleader in front of her, she turned back around and stared at Lucas and Peyton. "If you're so worried about her, then why don't you two go and help her. Tutor Girl and I don't converse in public. It's like an unwritten law." _

_Lucas slammed his fist on the table in anger. "Damn it, Brooke you're a horrible person you know that? Don't be like me and Nathan, don't be mean to your sister and let her get picked on. Trust me, it's not fun."_

_Brooke sighed and thought about it for a second. He was right. Lucas and Nathan had a horrible relationship and that was something she didn't want to have with her sister. "I'll be right back," she mumbled before getting up from the table and making her way over to Haley and Theresa._

"_Oh, hey Brooke, I was just talking to Haley here," Theresa froze, her voice shaking with fear. Brooke had told her before to lay off Haley but she never listened. _

_  
Brooke snatched the book out of her hand and set it down on the table. She grabbed her arm and pulled her away. "Leave her alone, Theresa. It's getting pretty old now," Theresa nodded sullenly and marched back to her friends. Peyton and Lucas smiled at each other and watched as Brooke made her way back over to Haley. "Are you okay?" She mumbled awkwardly, waiting for Haley to look up at her._

"_Yeah, I'm fine," Haley mumbled, pulling the book back in front of her and continuing her homework. _

"_Well that doesn't sound very convincing," Brooke pointed out in her usual cheery voice. Haley looked up at her and coughed._

"_I'm fine!" She mocked Brooke's voice and stared blankly at her. Brooke rolled her eyes and frowned, watching as Haley's gaze went back down to her books. "You don't have to pretend to care just because Luke and Peyton told you to. It's obviously very hard for you to talk to me in public."_

"_Jesus Christ, Haley what do you want from me?" Brooke said, all of sudden angry at her sister's bitterness._

_Haley sighed and threw in pencil down in frustration. "What do I want from you, Brooke? I don't want anything from you. All I want, is for you to like me," her voice dropped into a shy whisper as she finished the sentence._

_Brooke looked at her and shook her head before turning around and walking away. She stopped for a minute and walked back over to Haley. She stood next to her and bent down to give her a hug. "I love you," she whispered quickly before running back over to her own table._

"Jesus, Brooke get out of the way!" Theresa's voice yelled, bringing Brooke back to reality. She was walking with her head down and didn't even realize she was in the middle of the street.

"Sorry," she mumbled, lifting her head up to see all of her former friends piled into Theresa's Mercedes convertible. Her gaze caught Haley's and she sighed. Haley quickly turned away and Brooke rushed to the other side of the street.

"Freak," Theresa giggled while speeding off down the street. Haley looked back at her sister and felt horrible.

Brooke finally reached her house and sadly trudged up the stairs, wiping the tears that were falling down her face. She stopped outside Taylor's door and knocked loudly. "Taylooor," she moaned in a sad voice, just hoping Taylor would be home.

"Brooooke," Taylor mocked on the other side before opening the door. "What can I help you with?" She had a smile on her face but it soon turned to a frown when Brooke lifted her head up. "What happened?" Her voice changing to a concerned tone.

"Lucas," she stuttered, trying to get the words out, "Lucas and I broke up." Taylor sighed in relief, thankful that it wasn't something dreadful. She led her sister into her room and sat her on the bed, putting her arm around her.

"Tell me what happened," Taylor said sympathetically as Brooke rested her head on her shoulder.

Brooke sniffled and took a deep breath, ready to re-tell the story. "We got into a fight about Haley and he started to defend Nathan and then he asked me to choose between him and Haley and-"

"You chose Haley," Taylor stated with a smile, "any guy who makes you choose is an asshole. You made the right choice, Brooke."

"I know, but why does it feel like the wrong one?"

"It's called a broken heart, and it's going to take some time to get over."

"How long?" Brooke asked with watery eyes. She never really got a broken heart after her hook ups left the next morning. It was all new to her and she was sort of confused.

Taylor wiped her sister's eyes and gently laughed. "A while. But you know what always heals a broken heart? Ice cream and a movie."

Brooke laughed and picked her head off of Taylor's shoulder. "Care to join me?" She did her best to look hopeful to make Taylor say yes.

"I'd love to," Taylor said making Brooke smile, "but I can't." Brooke frowned and glanced around the room, noticing a suitcase packed in the corner.

"Where are you going?" She asked nervously, dreading the answer that was going to come out of her sister's mouth. "Please tell me you're not leaving."

"Only for a weeks tops, I promise. I just have to do something before it's too late. You'll be fine, Brooke. Besides, you have Haley here with you."

"Speaking of Haley, do you know where she's going? Or where she is for that matter."

Taylor nodded and got off the bed. "She called and said something about going to some party at this girl's house. Who knew little Haley-bub would be the partying type." Taylor looked at Brooke, who was sulking on the bed and laughed, "Brooke, it won't help you if you sulk. It's not going to make it any better, honey. Call the skinny blonde chick you call a best friend and go to that party. It'll do you good." She handed the Brooke the phone that was sitting on the dresser and gave it to her. "Now, I have a flight to catch." She gave her one last hug before grabbing her suitcase and leaving the room. Brooke sighed and reluctantly called Peyton's number.

"I can't believe I let you talk me into coming," Brooke yelled over the loud music that was playing at the party. "I would rather sit home alone and wallow in my self pity."

Peyton laughed and draped her arm around Brooke's waist and pulled her closer to her. "Just enjoy yourself, Brooke. Let the bad music take you over and forget about all your problems." She didn't know what happened earlier with Brooke and Lucas and just figured Brooke was down about the whole Haley thing. "Shall we get a drink?"

Brooke shook her head, not in the mood for a drink. "No, let's see if we can do this one sober."

Peyton smiled and nodded. "Alright then, let's fine some soda." The two girls walked arm and arm into the living room in hopes of finding some sort of refuge there. "So have you seen Haley anywhere?"

"Nope," Brooke looked around to see Haley nowhere in sight. "She's probably off with the cheer nazis getting brainwashed. You know what she said to me earlier in school? That I should have really thought twice about switching into her classes and that I would pay for it later. I mean, wow, bitter much? All I'm trying to do is make sure she's okay and this is the thanks I get?"

Peyton sighed and nodded sympathetically. Trying to understand Haley's new behavior and why she was acting the way she does. "It's probably just a phase. She'll get over it soon. You did," she teased with a playful smile, resulting in a playful slap from Brooke.

"Ha ha," Brooke laughed sarcastically while scanning through the crowd. She spotted Christian grinding with someone who looked pretty familiar. "Oh my god!" Brooke exclaimed trying to get a closer look as to who the person was. "That's Haley!"

Peyton looked that way and her mouth fell open in shock. "What the hell is she doing with that Christian kid?" She seethed, remembering Haley telling her how violent he was.

"I don't know, but I'm about to find out, come on," she grabbed Peyton's hand and marched over to the two who were looking pretty close with each other. She tapped Haley on the shoulder and crossed her arms as Haley turned around. "Hi."

Haley's eyes widened in surprise and she struggled to stay up right. "Brooke," she paused for a minute, trying to think of what else to say. "Hi!" It was obvious that she was drunk, something that Brooke never imagined living to see.

"Hi," Brooke said back in amusement, "what are you doing?"

Christian rolled his eyes, angry that people would come up and interrupt them. "Dancing? What the fuck does it look like we're doing."

Peyton rolled her eyes, fighting back any urge to punch this guy in the face. "Relax, dude. We know you're dancing, but question is, Haley, why are you dancing with him?" Haley turned away to avoid Peyton's look.

"Because, dancing is fun." Haley retorted with a goofy grin. She turned back around and continued dancing with the blonde in front of her.

"I don't think so," Brooke stated, grabbing Haley's arm and pulling her towards her. Haley gasped in surprise and tried to free herself from Brooke's grip.

"Brooke!" She yelled forcefully, "Let me go!"

"Haley," Brooke hissed, trying to calm her sister down. "After everything that happened with you know who, you should not be throwing yourself at some guy. Now come on, I'm taking you home."

"I don't want to go home," Haley hissed right back. "Stop being such, such," she struggled to find the rights words, "such a cock block!" Brooke ignored her rude comment and continued to drag her out of the party, Christian right behind them.

"Look big sis, if she doesn't want to go, she doesn't want to go," he grabbed Brooke's wrist and attempted to pull her back. He had a tight grip on her and it was making her wince. Peyton pushed him off and stepped in front of the James girls.

"Buddy, I suggest you back away really soon before something happens." Christian snorted but gave up after a few seconds of staring down the girls.

"Brooke, that was not nice at all," Haley slurred as she stumbled down the stairs with Brooke attached to her hip. "I can't believe you would do something like that."

"You'll thank me for this tomorrow when you wake up with a pounding headache."

Haley groaned and held her spinning head, leaning all her weight onto Brooke. Although she was drunk, she knew it was for the best. She just couldn't keep away from Christian. He was too strong and she was afraid he was going to hurt her again. "Jesus Christ Peyton, could you have parked farther away?" Brooke complained while trying to hold Haley up with all her strength. Peyton rolled her eyes and stopped walking.

"Well if I would have known we were going to lug your drunk sister home, I wouldn't have parked so damn far away!" Peyton exclaimed, sighing as she went to help Brooke out. "Just stay here, I'll go get the car."

They carefully led Haley to the curb and sat her down, Brooke soon following suite. "Hurry up," she snapped while watching Peyton take off down the street. Haley was practically on top of Brooke and it was very uncomfortable.

"I don't understand why you dragged me out of the party," Haley mumbled, prompting a groan from Brooke.

"I'll tell you when you're sober, it's just going to go in one ear and out the other if I tell you now," Brooke said will shifting Haley into a sitting position. "Where the hell is Peyton?" They heard footsteps from behind them and Brooke immediately tensed up.

"Need some help?" Lucas slurred. Brooke turned around to see her ex-boyfriend of 5 hours standing behind her. His eyes were all bloodshot and he was swaying back and forth.

"I've got it," Brooke whispered, standing up and pulling Haley up with her. Haley groaned and held her head at the sudden movement. Lucas saw what a struggle it was for Brooke to hold them both up upright and took a step forward.

"Just let me-"

"Go away!" Haley screamed in a fit of drunken rage. Brooke tightened her grip just incase she decided to lunge forward. "Why can't you just leave me the HELL alone?" Both Lucas and Brooke's eyes widened at the tiny girl's outburst.

"Haley, calm down," Brooke said, cursing at Peyton for not showing up now.

"Don't tell ME to calm down," Haley yelled, wriggling free of Brooke's grip. She stumbled over to Lucas and fell right into his arms. Brooke bit her lip in anticipation of what Haley was going to do next. "I told you to leave me alone, why can't you understand that?"

Lucas swayed back and forth, threatening to topple over any minute. Brooke became agitated, hoping Lucas wouldn't do anything stupid. He had a temper when he was drunk and became outspoken.

"Fine," Lucas spat at his soon to be ex-best friend. "the only reason why I became friends with you is to get closer to, Brooke. Why the hell would I want to befriend a loser who does nothing but study all day?"

Her rebuttal was to be short and sweet and something he wasn't expecting. With one simple kick to the groin, Lucas was knocked to the ground while Brooke pulled Haley back violently. Brooke had never seen this side of Haley and it was starting to scare her. Finally, Peyton pulled up and Brooke gently put Haley in the car, slipping in beside her.

They managed to get her up the stairs despite her threats and warnings. Brooke sat on the bed and watched as Haley drifted in and out of consciences.

"We should probably get her changed," Brooke mumbled to Peyton who nodded uneasily. She knew Brooke would start asking questions once she saw the huge bruise that stretched across her sister's abdomen.

"I can just wait outside if you want," Peyton said while heading to the door. Brooke pulled her back and shook her head.

"Don't be silly, we're all girls here," Brooke giggled while tapping Haley on the head to wake her up. "Arms up, babe," Haley complied and did as she was told. She was too tired to argue and all she wanted to do was sleep. She collapsed back onto the bed, falling asleep just in time to avoid hearing the horrifying gasp that escaped Brooke's mouth.

Brooke pulled her back up and shook her to wake her up. "Haley," she said nervously while Haley groaned and opened her eyes. "Haley, look at me," she put Haley's chin up and looked straight into her eyes, "what happened? Where did you get this bruise?"

Haley looked down at her stomach and threw her hand over it. Peyton turned away to avoid being thrown into this mess. "Don't worry," she mumbled, grinning from ear to ear.

"I am going to worry about it!" Brooke yelled in shock, her body was trembling and felt Peyton's hand on her shoulder. "Did, did Nathan do this to you?"

Haley gazed up at Brooke's eyes and shook her head, "_No_," she giggled, as Brooke threw a tank top over her head. "Christian did."

Brooke's mouth fell open and her breathing became heavy. "What?"

"Don't worry, Brooke!" Haley exclaimed, trying to stand up on the bed, resulting her falling into Brooke. Brooke sat her back down and knelt down in front of her, resting her hand on Haley's knee. "He said he wouldn't do it again, no need to worry. No big deal," she went on and on with a smile, not knowing what she was saying.

Brooke stood up and looked at Peyton. "Do me a favor and get her to bed, I'll be right back." She went to the door but Peyton pulled her back.

"Brooke, don't." Peyton looked at her friend with pleading eyes and begged her not to go. But Brooke was beyond angry that she was about to kill someone. "He's violent and you don't know what he could do to you."

She shook her head in protest and pulled her arm free. "Peyton, put her to bed and I'll be back later," she said more forcefully.

Peyton sighed and looked around the room. "If you go, I go, simple as that." There was no way Peyton was going to let Brooke do this alone.

"No, you need to stay here with her. God knows what she'll confess next." Brooke glanced back at Haley who was currently looking under her bed for something. "Honey, what are you looking for?"

"Mr. Waffles," Haley mumbled, while poking her head back under the bed. Peyton looked at Haley and realized that she needed someone to be there with her.

"Why can't Taylor stay with her?" Peyton asked, wondering why their older sister couldn't spare an hour or two. "I don't want you to go alone."

"Because, Taylor went somewhere for the week and my god damn brother and his girlfriend are god knows where and frankly I don't care." Brooke replied curtly as Haley got under the covers.

"Where is he?" Haley whispered, looking under the pillow for the teddy bear that she found comfort in. Brooke ran out of the room and into hers. She grabbed Mr. Waffles and ran back into Haley's room, walking over to the bed and placing it into her sister's arm.

"Hales, Peyton is going to stay with you for a bit, okay?" Haley looked up at Brooke with lost eyes and sank further down into the bed.

"Where are you going?" She asked in a small voice, still in a delusional state. "I want you to stay here with me." Brooke sighed and had to fight the urge to climb right into bed with her sister. Peyton walked over to the bed and sat next to Haley.

"She'll be back in a few minutes, okay?" She whispered softly to Haley, who nodded and looked back at Brooke.

"Do you want to take Mr. Waffles with you?" Haley said, holding out the bear for her sister to take. Brooke shook her head and pushed her hands back. Haley kept fluctuating into different moods; bitchy, needy, scared, independent. It was all very hard for Brooke to take in but right now she didn't have time to deal with it.

"No you keep him here," Brooke whispered getting off the bed. "I'll see you soon." Haley gave her a little wave and snuggled closer to Peyton, who put her arms around her, praying that Brooke wouldn't do something stupid.

But knowing Brooke, she was going to do something stupid. And she just hoped to god he wasn't going to hurt her.


	20. I will retaliate

**Okay so I would love to say all these wonderful things and how reaching chapter 20 is such a milestone for me but it's nearly 2:30 am and I need to sleep before I pass out on the keyboard and forget to post this. Once again, thank you, you're awesome and you're all succumbing to the force of hating Lucas, I mean um, yeah Lucas won't be nice anymore. Sorry! I need to make Brooke suffer as much as possible. Enjoy..**

Brooke came to a screeching halt when she got to the party. She threw the car in park, pulled the emergency brake up and got out of the car, car keys still in the ignition. But she didn't care, why should she? Storming up the long and winding walkway, Brooke stopped once she got to the doorstep. It was now and never and now was the only option she had.

She opened the door and tried to ignore the obnoxiously loud rap music that was blaring throughout the large house. There was definitely more people there than before and finding Christian was going to be even harder. But it was all worth the wait when she would get the chance to absolutely pound Christian into the ground and she was going to make sure everyone was watching.

"Shot?" A random guy that Brooke recognized from school said, holding the tray up to her. Brooke nodded and took one, knocking it back within a second. "Alright," the guy cheered before walking over to the girl behind Brooke. She wandered around the house a little more before walking past the open bathroom, spotting Claire in there glancing at herself in the mirror.

"Claire?" She asked, walking further into the bathroom to get a better look at the blonde girl.

"Brooke?" Claire turned around in surprise, holding her hand over her heart, "you scared me. What are you doing here?"

"Sorry," Brooke mumbled before sitting on the edge of the bathtub, "I'm here to beat the living shit out of your brother."

"Why? What did he do?" Claire asked in fear. "Please tell me he didn't hurt Haley." Brooke nodded and stood up.

"She's got this huge bruise covering most of her stomach," Brooke whispered, her voice shaking at the memory. "Why, why does he do that?"

Claire sighed and hugged Brooke. It was really weird, if you knew them last year they hated each other's guts. Now it was them against half their cheerleading squad. Theresa was an evil dictator that they somehow needed to bring down. "Brooke, do me a favor?" Brooke looked at her and nodded. "Don't go after him, please."

Brooke broke out of the embrace and shook her head. "Don't go after him? Claire, if you've seen the size of the bruise-"

"I know, I know how big they are. Because, Brooke he does it to me too, okay? He's done it to every girl he's ever dated and he's even done it to my own mother. But, Brooke you have to listen to me, he will hurt you so bad if you go after him. The physical and emotional pain is unbearable."

Brooke was silent for a minute and looked down at her feet. "Pain doesn't hurt when it's all you've ever felt," she whispered harshly looking back up at a wide-eyed Claire. She turned to walk out of the room with Claire right on her heels.

"Please listen to me, Brooke," Claire pleaded looking into Brooke's eyes. "He could kill you. Please don't do anything."

"So let him kill me," Brooke said with no emotion to her voice, "at least I know I died protecting my sister." Claire watched in horror as she disappeared out her sight and down the hall.

Brooke walked into the kitchen and looked around at the group of guys crowded around the counters. She sighed when she couldn't find Christian. Claire tried her best to keep up with Brooke to make sure her brother didn't hurt her. Brooke went into the living room and stopped dead in her tracks. There he was, sipping on a beer and joking around with a group of guys.

She walked up behind him and he turned around with a grin on his face. It soon faded to a frown when he saw who it was.

"Can I help you?" Christian asked in a bored tone. Brooke stood there silently, taking deep breaths. She mustered up all her courage and delivered a sharp punch to his face. He dropped the beer bottle and it spilled all over his pants and the rug. The guys behind him made surprised noises and looked at Brooke with their mouths wide open.

"No, but I can help you," she said in the sweetest voice possible. Christian quickly recovered and wiped the blood on his lip.

"What the hell is your problem you crazy bitch?" He yelled over the music playing. "If this is about me dancing with Haley then get over it."

"It is not about you dancing with Haley, it's about you hitting her," Brooke snapped, staring him down straight in the eye. He laughed and titled his head back, the anger and rage building up inside of him.

"She deserved to be kicked, the stupid bitch was ignoring me," he sneered, making Brooke kick him in the stomach.

"You deserve to be kicked in the stomach you no good son of a bitch." She kicked him repeatedly until he felt to the ground. Most everyone had migrated to the kitchen when they head the commotion out in the living room. "How does that feel? Being hit by a girl? Huh?" Brooke yelled, glancing up at everyone looking at her. They were whispering but she didn't care. All she cared about was making Christian pay for hurting her sister.

Christian took a deep breath and managed to get back to his feet, holding his stomach tightly. He couldn't let her know that she caused him any pain. "I wouldn't do that, sweetie."

Brooke screamed as he grabbed her by the shoulder and threw her into the wall. He raised his hand above his head, ready to knock her lights out. But she refused to show any fear. "Go ahead hit me," she taunted as she listened to his heavy breathing, "go ahead, Christian show everyone how much of a man you are. Hit me. You had no problem hitting my sister, why don't you hit me?" Christian's fist began to shake as he slowly brought it down closer to her. "I said hit me!" She yelled finally, pushing him over the breaking point. He raised his fist back and was ready to punch her when he felt someone grab his hand.

"Don't you dare hit her," Claire yelled, glaring at her brother. Christian pushed her away, causing her to fall over.

"Shut up," he snapped, looking back down at his sister through gritted teeth. Brooke walked behind him and tapped him on the shoulder. "What do you want?"

"Leave her alone," she simply said, punching him in the face again causing his lip to bleed even more. Now he was pissed.

"You know I was only nice to you because we were around all these people, but now you're asking for it, bitch," He raised his fist yet again almost connecting with her face when someone grabbed him from behind yet again.

"What the hell do you think you're doing?" Lucas seethed holding Christian back. Claire had since gotten up and walked over to Brooke and held her back as well.

"Let me go, Claire," Brooke yelled trying to get out of her grip, "I have to make sure he pays for what he did to my sister."

Christian pushed Lucas off of him and laughed. "Make me pay? Honey, you're lucky all I did was hit your sister. I could have let Nathan Scott rob her of her youth and screw her up more than she already is."

And that push Brooke over the limit. She pushed Claire off of her and lunged herself at Christian, kicking in the groin, making him fall over to the ground. He lay on this back groaning like a mad man. She straddled him and let the angry tears slip out of her eyes and onto his shirt. All she had left to do was to punch his lights out, and that's exactly what she started doing until Lucas pulled her off of him and into his arms.

"Brooke, stop, stop, it's not going to do any good." Lucas said trying to calm his ex-girlfriend down.

"Let me go, you asshole. You don't even care about, Haley." Brooke yelled, flailing about in his arms, trying to reach the ground. "Lucas, I'm serious!" She cried, tears rolling down her cheek, "put me down, please."

Lucas reluctantly let her go and the whole room fell silent as Brooke ran out of the room and out of the house, thankful to be alive.

Peyton sighed and fished through Brooke and Haley's DVD collection. She had waited until Haley fell asleep until she left the room. Bring it on or Bring it on again. What a hard choice she had to make. She went with Bring it on again because she hated Kirsten Dunst and every movie she starred in. Peyton sighed and popped in the DVD, hoping Brooke would be home soon. It had only been about fifteen minutes so she wasn't holding her breath.

"Peyton?" Haley asked quietly while she made her way down the stairs, holding Mr. Waffles against her chest. Peyton paused the movie and looked behind her to see Haley coming down the stairs.

"Oh, hey Hales. I didn't wake you did I?" Peyton asked softly, mentally cursing herself for having the movie playing too loud. Haley shook her head and sat down on the couch next to her.

"No you didn't. Is my sister home yet?" Haley asked with a tinge of hopefulness in her voice. She was starting to feel the affects of all the alcohol she consumed and started to feel dizzy again. She laid her head onto Peyton's lap and stretched her feet across the rest of the couch.

"No not yet. She should be home soon though." Peyton said reassuringly, covering Haley up with the blanket that was draped over the back of the couch.

"Oh. What are you watching?"

Peyton's cheeks turned a shade of magenta and unpaused the movie, letting the opening credits roll. "Bring it on again," she mumbled, prompting a giggle from Haley, who shifted her position so she could see the TV.

"Brooke has some crazed idea that if I died my hair blonde I would be a clone of that girl who plays Marni." Haley said with a small laugh. Peyton's eyes widened at the resemblance and nodded her head.

"Holy crap you do."

Haley sat up and looked at Peyton, shaking her head. "Please don't tell Brooke or else she'll throw the whole 'I told you so,' thing in my face." Peyton laughed and nodded her head, signaling that she wouldn't. Haley looked around the dark room, still delusional and somewhat delirious.

"Peyton?" She whispered yet again, Peyton paused the movie and looked at her with a nervous face.

"Yeah, Hales?"

"Where's my brother?"

With every question she asked, Peyton became uneasy, dreading her answer to them. "I don't know exactly. Brooke said that he went away with his girlfriend."

"Oh okay. I don't really need him anyways," she mumbled looking at Peyton's legs. Peyton sighed and it her lip. It's not like he would come home anyways if she did need him. "Where's Taylor?"

"I think she went away for the week, Hales." Peyton said, praying that this question and answer round would be over.

"She didn't even say goodbye," Haley said, tears welling up in her brown eyes. Peyton's heart sank at the girl in front of her. She just wanted to hold her and never let her go.

"Oh, Haley, I'm sure she wanted to. She'll be back soon though."

"But I wanted to say goodbye first," Haley whispered, wiping away the tears that fell down her cheek. She probably had no idea what was going on but she didn't really seem to mind. She was so delirious she was surprised she knew where she was. Peyton moved over and gave Haley a hug, letting her know she was there for her. "Can I call her?" Haley sniffled, pulling out of Peyton's hug.

"I don't see why not," Peyton said, picking the phone up next to her and handing it to Haley. Haley smiled and began dialing the number.

"555-6548," Haley repeated each number while she pressed the button. The phone didn't connect and she threw back at Peyton in frustration. "Stupid thing doesn't work."

Peyton picked the phone up from her lap and looked at Haley. "Hales, you just forgot the area code, don't worry about it. Here I'll dial," she dialed the number and made sure it rang once before giving it back to Haley.

Haley waited anxiously to hear the sound of Taylor's voice on the other end. She sighed and was about to hang up when she head Taylor's voice.

"Hello?" Taylor said out of breath. She stopped walking through the airport and grabbed the nearest seat. "Hello?" She asked again, waiting for the person on the other line to respond.

"Tay?" Haley's voice shook on the other end. Taylor smiled, happy to hear the sound of Haley's voice. She felt bad for leaving and not saying goodbye. "Where are you?"

"I'm just about to change planes in Denver. Why, what's up?" Taylor stood up from the chair, regaining her composure. She heard her flight being called and became anxious. "Hales, I hate to be a bitch, but my flight is about to leave."

"Wait," Haley practically yelled on the other end, "where are you going?"

Taylor sighed and sat back down, hoping she wouldn't miss her flight. "I'm just going to see a few friends, I'll be back soon. Now I really have to go."

"But, you can't go," Haley cried on the other end. Peyton got off the couch, figuring Haley would like some privacy and went into the kitchen, peering out the window for any sign of Brooke. "I, I need you to come home," she tried to choke back her sob, but she couldn't in any longer. "Please?"

Taylor sighed heavily for the umpteenth time through the conversation. "Why, Hay? Just tell me what's wrong and maybe I can fix it over the phone in less than two minutes." Taylor quickly added in when realizing her flight was still boarding.

Haley gripped Mr. Waffles in frustration and bit her lip. "It doesn't matter, I just really need you to come home. Is it too much to ask?"

"Considering the circumstances, Haley, yes it is." She heard Haley sniffle on the other end and immediately felt bad. "Honey, where's Brooke? Can I talk to her for a sec?"

"She's not here," Haley's voice shook with every word she spoke. "I don't know where she is, Tay, That's why I need you to come home."

"You're not alone, are you?" Taylor's voice rose in concern. She knew something was off with Haley and it was starting to freak her out.

"No, Peyton's here," Taylor let out a sigh of relief. "But she doesn't know when Brooke is coming back."

"Final boarding call for flight 198 to Portland, once again, final boarding call for flight 198 to Portland."

"Hay, I have to go before I miss my flight. Just stay with Peyton and I'll see you soon, 'kay?" Taylor closed her eyes, cursing herself for her decision.

"No don't, please," Haley broke into a fit of sobs. "Please, come home. I'll never ask you for anything else, please, Taylor, please."

It was now or never. Portland or Tree Hill. Portland to see her daughter or to Tree Hill to see her pleading sister. In the end it was Tree Hill.

"Okay, okay, okay," Taylor said, trying her best to calm Haley down. She watched as the remaining people went through the terminal before the door was shut. "I'm going to see if I can get the next flight back, Hay. Just calm down and I'll be there as soon as possible."

Haley felt herself calm down knowing that Taylor would be coming home. "Thank you, Taylor. I love you so much."

Taylor smiled. "I love you too, baby." She hung up and walked over to the ticketing booth. "Hi, I was wondering if I could exchange this ticket for one to Tree Hill? And I also need the next flight out, I don't care how much it costs."

Peyton came back into the living room and did her best to smile at Haley. "Everything okay now?"

Haley smiled and wiped her eyes while motioning for Peyton to come sit down. "Yeah," she whispered, lying back down on Peyton's lap. "She's coming home." And for the first time in what seemed like forever, Haley felt truly loved by her sisters.

Peyton returned the smile, gently running her fingers through Haley's here. "Try and get some sleep, Hales. You're going to have a horrible headache tomorrow." Haley stifled her yawn with a laugh, gently closing her eyes leaving Peyton to stare in awe at the resemblance between her and Marni.

Twenty minutes later, Peyton was drifting in and out of sleep. She woke up immediately when she heard the front door open. Brooke walked over quietly and sat on the edge of the couch, resting her head on top of Peyton's. "Hi," she whispered in a nasal voice. Peyton reached over and put her arm over Brooke's shoulders and pulled her closer, waiting for her breakdown.

But she didn't. Both Brooke and Peyton hated crying in front of people, Brooke especially. "So how did it go?" Peyton asked quietly while lowering the movie. She tried to shift to face Brooke, but quickly remembered Haley.

"Well let's just say I'll probably be known as Brooke James: the man beater." Peyton looked at her in awe, causing Brooke to smile shyly. "I kicked his ass," she quickly glanced at Haley and smiled proudly. "No one messes with my Haley-bub."

"I'm just glad you're okay," Peyton said while gently slipping out from beneath Haley. "The next time you want to go around beating up guys, take me with you?" Brooke nodded and gave Peyton a hug, thanking her over and over again.

"Everything go okay with you?" Brooke said while glancing down at her sleeping sister. Peyton looked at Haley and back at Brooke, nodding.

"Yeah, she wanted to wait up for you I think but the poor thing's really tired and I think she got sick of waiting so.." Peyton trailed off, leaving Brooke to put the pieces together.

"Yeah, that's Haley alright," Brooke laughed, "she could never make it to midnight on new years. My dad always had to carry her up to bed and then she would wake up a few minutes later, yelling that we didn't wake her up to see the ball drop."

Peyton smiled and rubbed her eyes. "Well I think P. Sawyer is going to head back to Casa De Awesome and hit the sack." Brooke frowned and stared at her best friend.

"But P. Sawyer it's so late. Why don't you just stay here? Come on, when's the last time we had a sleepover?"

Peyton sighed and realized she wasn't going to win. "I don't know, like 10th grade? And that resulted in us getting drunk and you losing your virginity. And I don't think you want to go through that again."

"Well duh, you can only be a virgin once," Brooke teased while sticking out her tongue. "Come on, Peyton. It's just Hales and me for the rest of the weekend and I'm sure she would love for you to stay. She's a big fan of yours."

Peyton smiled and relented, nodding her head in approval. Brooke squealed and walked over to Haley. "Need help?"

Brooke thought about it and nodded. "She may look tiny, but she's a pain in the ass to carry," she gently lifted Haley up in a standing position and wrapped her arm around Haley's waist. Peyton laughed and did the same on the other side. Brooke groaned as Mr. Waffles fell out of Haley's hands and onto the floor. Peyton kicked the bear with her right foot and managed for it to land halfway up the stairs. "Nice one," Brooke nodded in approval as they carefully walked up the stairs, Haley out like a light.

Once they got to Haley's room, Brooke gently let Haley go and opened the covers, watching as Peyton slowly slipped her in without her stirring. She smiled while she watched Brooke place Mr. Waffles in Haley's hand and pull the covers on her, kissing her on the forehead before leaning back up.

"Okay, so here's the thing," Brooke turned away shyly as she caught Peyton's dreamy look, "Haley has this thing where she needs to be tucked in every night in order for her to go to sleep."

Peyton smiled, unaware of Haley's need to be tucked in. "Aw, Brooke, it's so cute. Has it been going on long?"

"Ever since we were 7/8ish,"

_Haley frowned and did her best not to cry as she watched her parents and brother gather into their car, driving off into the night. If she knew they were going out, she would have said goodnight to them earlier, but she just found out about it now. Every night at nine, her mother would come in and tuck both her and Brooke in. She would tuck Haley in first because she was on the bottom bunk and then climb up the ladder to the top bunk and tuck Brooke in. Sometimes, Brooke went to bed without being tucked in, but Haley was different. She loved when her mother tucked her in; it gave her a sense of security and the feeling of being loved by her family._

"_Hi, Hales." Brooke said, bouncing into their room, fresh from brushing her teeth. "Whatcha doing?"_

_Haley held Mr. Waffles tighter and tried her best not to cry in front of Brooke. "Nothing," she whispered while still staring out the window. Brooke rolled her eyes knowing something was wrong._

"_Haley, I just turned 8, I'm not stupid. Tell me what's wrong." She gently walked over to her little sister and put her hand on her shoulder. "I can help you, I've been around 9 months longer than you."_

_Haley looked up at Brooke and smiled. Brooke was so much braver than her it was ridiculous. "Promise not to laugh?" Brooke nodded, signaling she wouldn't. "Mom forgot to say good night before she left."_

"_And she didn't tuck you in?" Brooke said, finishing her sister's sentence. "Well I can do that! I've seen her do it billions of times."_

_Haley's eyes lit up and she smiled widely. "Really? You, you don't mind?"_

"_Of course not! What are big sisters for? C'mon," Brooke said while taking a hold of Haley's hand and leading her over to their bed. She pulled the covers down and motioned for Haley to get in. "Jump in." Haley did as she was told and got comfortable underneath the covers. Brooke waited until she stopped moving before she pulled the covers up on top of her. "Are you comfortable?"_

_Haley shifted one more time before nodding. "Uh-huh."_

"_Okay," Brooke said, leaning down and kissing Haley on the forehead. "Night, Hales. I did it right, right?"_

"_You just need to check under the bed for monsters," Haley said looking at Brooke wide-eyed._

"_Oh yeah," Brooke leaned over the bed and checked under the bed, she knew nothing was there but she was just going to humor her sister. "All clear. And if there were any monsters, I wouldn't let them hurt you. You're the only baby sister I have and I'd like to keep you."_

_Haley giggled and reached up to hug Brooke. "Thanks, Brookie, you're the bestest big sister in the world."_

"_Even better than Taylor?" Brooke gasped, causing Haley to giggle more._

"_So much better! Goodnight," Haley shifted over to her side and felt Brooke stand up on the bed, walking over to the ladder. She waited for Brooke to get comfortable before she spoke again. "Brooke?"_

"_Yeah, Haley-bub?"_

"_Will you promise to tuck me in every time Mom's not home? I like the way you do it."_

_Brooke smiled and popped her head down to look at Haley. "I'll do it even when she's there."_

_Haley smiled and fiddled with Mr. Waffles some more._

"_Brooke?"_

"_Yessum?"_

"_Will you just stay down here until I fall asleep? Mom usually checks on me before she goes to bed and would it be okay if you just did that? Only for a few minutes, I promise." Brooke smiled and immediately sat up in her bed, carefully stepping down her ladder and jumping into Haley's bed._

"_How about I stay with you all night? I'll watch over you and protect you from the wrath known as Taylor. Because I was listening to her phone call with her friend before I came in and I know she'll come in here and yell at me."_

_Haley hugged her sister and made room for her to lie down. "You're really brave, Brooke. I wish I could be as brave as you."_

"_You will be. It all comes when you're 8." Brooke giggled, holding Haley close to her. "Night, Hales."_

"_Night, tigger."_

"So yeah, it's like our little tradition I guess," Brooke said, trailing off before finishing the rest of the story. Peyton couldn't help but smile at how motherly Brooke was to Haley. "Say something, Peyton."

"It's, it's just I've never seen this side of you before, it's hard to imagine you being so nice to Haley when you ignored her in school."

Brooke bit her lip and shrugged. "I wasn't going to let her be alone at night even when I ignored her. I promised her and I won't break it."

_Brooke finished brushing her teeth and spit out the toothpaste before rinsing her mouth with water. She sighed and glanced at the hall clock, it was almost 10. 'Right on schedule,' she thought before walking into Haley's room._

"_Hey, Tutor Girl," Brooke said while walking into Haley's room. Haley looked up at her and forced a smile, trying to ignore the fact that Brooke was a major bitch to her at school today. She was so different at home and it frustrated her every time Brooke made a scene at school._

"_Hi, Tigger," Haley whispered getting up from the floor and watching as Brooke lent against the wall._

"_Ready for bed?" Brooke asked in her best caring tone. She knew Haley was probably mad at her for being so rude at school but she wasn't in the mood to bring it up. If Haley wasn't going to say anything, then neither was she._

_Haley looked around the room and noticed she hadn't put her books into her bag. "Yeah, just a second." She quickly walked over to the books and shoved them in her bag, zipping it up rather fast. Brooke had already pulled the covers down so Haley could get in easily._

"_Take your time," Brooke said noticing that Haley was extra squirmy that night. "I've got all night."_

"_Have you seen Mr. Waffles?" Haley asked shyly looking around the room for her favorite teddy bear. Brooke looked around the room too, before realizing she had it._

"_Oh yeah, I threw him in the wash earlier because he was looking a little dingy," Brooke said before walking out of the room returning seconds later with the bear in her hand. "Here you go, nice and clean."_

_Haley smiled and smelled the bear. "He smells nice too," she giggled which prompted Brooke to roll her eyes before laughing herself._

"_That's the general idea of the washer machine, now come on get into bed, babe," Brooke said while sitting on the edge of the bed. "Comfortable yet?"_

"_No," Haley retorted while giving Brooke a kick, "your fat ass is in my way."_

_Brooke got up from the bed. "Ha ha, now that my fat ass is out of the way, are you all set?" Haley nodded and Brooke leant over and put the covers over here, leaning over and kissing her on the forehead._

"_Brooke?" Haley asked as Brooke got off the bed to turn the light off._

"_What, Hales?" She knew it was going to be one of those nights where Haley needed Brooke to stay with her seeing as it was starting to rain. "Will I stay with you? Of course I will."_

_Haley smiled, thankful that she didn't need to ask Brooke. "So tell me, how was tutoring? My councilor told me I needed to be more involved with my family. And unfortunately for you little sis, that's you."_

"_Ugh, that was such a Taylor thing for you to say. Don't call me little sis, it makes me feel like a kid." Haley said, staring Brooke in the eye. Brooke bit her lip to stop herself from laughing. "Brooke! You know I hate when Taylor calls me that, I don't need you to call me that."_

"_Well you're my little sister, like it or not Haley. Besides it's cute. Little sis, aw, it just makes me melt saying that." Brooke said while pinching Haley's cheeks. Haley looked less than thrilled but she had to admit, it was cute._

"_Fine, then big sis, you call me little sis, I'll call you big sis. See how you like it."_

_Brooke smiled and poked Haley in the stomach. "You can call me big sis whenever you want, because after all-"_

"_You're my big sister, I know," Haley finished the sentence off with a sigh. "Well big sis, tutoring was okay, the kid I tutor got an A on his math test. How was cheerleading?"_

"_Well little sis, cheerleading was just super great. My whole squad, minus P. Sawyer, is a bunch of fake blonde bimbos who do nothing but drool over Nathan Scott. I mean he's not that good looking."_

_Haley nodded her head in agreement. "He's a jerk too. He practically knocked me down today without even saying sorry."_

_Brooke frowned and bit her lip. She saw that and thought it was really funny. She laughed along with her friends and the others who saw and watched as Haley picked up her books and hurried off down the hall. "Yeah, I saw that. I'm sorry. I'll have Luke kick his ass, little sis."_

"_Okay, Brooke you're killing the little sis. You can't call me that anymore, it's dead, dead and buried. Six feet under-"_

"_Okay! I get it, it's dead." Brooke frowned, not in the mood to come up with another nickname. "But I'm not in the mood to think of a super cute nickname to call you now. Haley-bub is already patented by Taylor and so is little sis, Tutor Girl doesn't really apply to you here. What the heck can I call you?"_

_Haley rolled her eyes and shrugged when Brooke looked at her. "Here's a crazy idea. How about Haley!"_

_Brooke shook her head and nudged Haley with her foot. "Cute," she said with a laugh before launching into deep thought. "I could be really, really like motherly and call you baby. Because you are like my little baby, I take care of you when you're sick, I take you to school and back, I think it's perfect, baby!" Haley frowned at the thought of Brooke calling her baby. Her Mom used to call her that but she never let Brooke or anyone else know that. "So can I call you baby?"_

_Haley turned away and tried not to cry. "No," she whispered before Brooke leaned over to look at her._

"_What's wrong? Was it something I said?"_

_Haley quickly wiped her eyes and shook her head. "No, no it's nothing. Just do me a favor, and don't call me baby okay? Go back to little sis." Brooke nodded, unaware of why Haley was getting so upset over the nickname baby._

"_Yeah sure," she whispered watching as Haley turned away from her and lay down. She got off the bed and shut the light off and slipped into bed, staring at Haley's backside. Haley sniffled trying to rid herself of the tears, but they were coming out. "Hales?" Brooke called out, turning her sister over to her so she could see what was up. "Mom used to call you baby didn't she?" Haley nodded before letting the tears come out. "I'm so sorry," Brooke whispered, pulling Haley close to her and holding her tight. "Come here," she rubbed her back gently, in hopes of Haley calming down. Eventually her sobs died down and she managed to stop herself from crying again._

"_Thanks, Tigger." Haley mumbled as Brooke laid her back down, rubbing her shoulders in comfort._

"_Get some sleep, Haley, I'll be right here if you need me." Haley smiled at the reassurance in her voice and closed her eyes before drifting into a peaceful sleep._

"_Night, baby," Brooke whispered, careful for Haley not to hear. She gently stroked her hair before turning over to go to sleep._

"_Night," Haley whispered back, making Brooke smile from ear to ear. Even though Brooke didn't talk to her in school, she sure as hell made up for it at home._

_**I tried to make Baley cutesy as possible. I hope it's cutesy enough because the next chapter is all Brooke, so I just want to warn you all before you have a heart attack and yell at me and threaten to kill me. Again, it's really really late and I should be sleeping, but i'm here instead. But i'm going. Goodnight and thanks again for your awesome reviews! **_

_**And I threw those Hil/Joie references in there for my own amusement. I'll give someone a prize if you can point them out. As if they're really hard. And, Britney, this excludes you! **_

_**Kristin**_


	21. I watched the walls around me crumble

It was just half past six when Brooke dragged herself out of bed. Peyton was on the floor out like a light and Haley was stretched across the bed sound asleep. She carefully stepped over Peyton and made her way out of the room and into hers.

"Brooke," Taylor groaned from behind her, making Brooke nearly jump out her skin. "How many times have I told you to lock the door at night? I could have been some crazy killer!"

Brooke turned around and rolled her eyes. "Like a killer would break into someone's house and try to kill them in broad daylight."

Taylor sighed and dropped her bag that was slung over her shoulder. "Whatever.

Brooke looked at her in confusion, remembering that she was supposed to go on a trip somewhere.

"What are you doing home?" Brooke asked while raising her eyebrow. She quickly put on a fake smile when Taylor glared at her. "I mean, it's nice to see you."

"Save it, B. Would you like to tell me what the hell is going on?" Taylor asked in a sharp tone, not taking no for an answer. Brooke did her best to play dumb and shrugged.

"Nothing?"

"Brooke!" Taylor half-yelled, "stop lying to me. First of all, I'm home because 8 hours ago I got a phone call from my hysterical sister telling me that she needs me right now and I need to come home. So I had to wait for the next flight out which took about 4 hours and then I had to sit next to a whiny little brat who kept smacking me in the face, and then I come home to find Haley passed out in the bathroom over the toilet. I'm running on three hours of sleep, so I'm whiny, I'm bitchy and I want the truth. Right now."

Brooke blinked a few times, trying to take in all the information that Taylor had just given her. "Fine," she sighed, sitting down on the bed, "Haley went to a party and got a little drunk. Okay, she got plastered and she was dancing with, Christian."

"Christian? Not the guy that hit her, right?" Taylor said in a surprise. She walked over to the bed and sat down next to Brooke, letting out a heavy sigh. Brooke looked at her shocked and she half-smiled. "She told me that night we found out about Nathan. I didn't say anything because she didn't want me to."

"Yeah, well good going." Brooke mumbled under her breath. "Anyways, she drunkenly confessed it and then I sort of went wild and went back to the party and kicked the living shit out of him. "

"Brooke," Taylor said with a sigh, "you can't go around kicking everyone's ass who makes Haley feel bad." Brooke got off the bed in clear annoyance and glared at her sister.

"Makes her feel bad? Come here and I'll show you why I had to kick his ass," Brooke snapped, grabbing Taylor's hand and violently leading her into Haley's bedroom.

"Brooke is this really necessary?" Taylor asked, trying to hide her uneasiness. Brooke stepped over Peyton and nodded her head.

"Completely necessary," She whispered, gently rolling Haley over onto her back and pulling the covers down off of her. "Brace yourself," she warned before lifting Haley's shirt up to reveal the large black and blue bruise that stretched across her abdomen. Taylor immediately put her hands over her mouth at the sight in front of her. She turned away to avoid letting out a gasp that could potentially wake up Haley. Brooke nodded sadly and gently pulled Haley's shirt back down before throwing the covers back over her stiff body.

"Now sit there and tell me there was no need for me to kick his ass," Brooke whispered harshly as they left the room, making their way down the hall as far away from the room as possible.

Taylor sighed and closed her eyes for a minute. "Fine. I'm sorry, but next time, can you please tell me what is going on before I go half way across the country? The last thing I need is to get a phone call saying you've been arrested for assault." Brooke couldn't help but crack a smile making Taylor look at her nervously.

"Where were you going anyways?" Brooke asked out of curiosity. Taylor had never officially said where she was going and why. She turned away and shrugged, obviously not wanting to say anything.

"Why the hell did you let Haley get drunk?" Taylor snapped out of nowhere, making Brooke jump back in shock. "Jesus, Brooke, what the hell are you thinking?"

Brooke stared at her sister wide-eyed, not understanding where all of this anger was coming from. "Excuse me?" Brooke bit back in her own anger, "you're the one who let her go to the damn party."

"Well, you should have gone and made sure she was okay," Taylor replied coldly, "If I would have known she was going to get drunk I wouldn't have let her go."

"Yeah, like she would listen to you." Brooke mumbled, making Taylor raise her eyebrow. "In case you haven't noticed, Haley is on some 'independence' kick and she is not listening to anyone right now."

Taylor shook her head and started to pace. Brooke rolled her eyes, knowing Taylor was trying to think of something else to criticize her on. "Where does this Christian kid live?"

"Tay, don't-" Brooke tried to reason with her but Taylor wasn't having any of it.

"Brooke," Taylor threatened, pinning her up against the wall, "tell me right now or so help me god I will beat it out of you." Brooke felt her wrists go numb and somehow found the strength to get Taylor to release her. Taylor looked at Brooke in shock, clearly having no idea what came over her. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to."

Brooke put her hand on Taylor's shoulder and nodded her head. "That's okay. Just try and control yourself next time, tiger." She cracked a slight smile, which resulted in a push from Taylor.

"I know, I know. It's just, why would anyone want to hurt Haley?" Taylor mused, launching into deep thought. Brooke shook her head and shrugged, not knowing what to say. "She wouldn't even hurt a fly. First Nathan, and now this kid, it's like the world is out to get her."

"Well all I can say is, hike up that big sister protectiveness, Taylor," Brooke said while moving her thumb up and down. Taylor nodded and shrank down to the floor.

"I'm trying, I'm trying," Taylor groaned, gently hitting her head on the wall behind her. "It's just that with everyone thing going on right now, it's hard okay? Besides, I want to know where this Christian kid lives to give him a piece of my own mind. That's hiking up my big sister protectiveness by at least ten points."

Brooke took a seat next to her and nodded. "It does. But, can we at least give him a day to recover?"

Taylor frowned, not liking that idea at all. If it wasn't quarter of seven in the morning she would have marched right over to his house and kick his ass as well. "Fine," she mumbled in obvious disappointment, "but first thing tomorrow morning you're giving me his address and I'm going to do some serious ass whooping." Brooke nodded in agreement and watched as Taylor stood up, she pulled Brooke up after her. "Seeing as you're up, and seeing as Haley is going to hurt like hell in a few hours, what do you say we cook a nice hang over breakfast for her and the blonde chick. That way maybe we can get her to talk to us while she's sober."

Brooke raised her eyebrow. "You and your bribes," she said with a fake eye roll prompting another slap from Taylor. "I'm kidding! It's sounds like a good idea, but don't hold your breath about the whole Haley talking thing."

"I'm not going to," Taylor mumbled while she and Brooke made their way down the stairs and into the kitchen. She figured the aroma of the eggs and bacon would wake the two sleeping occupants right away.

About 20 minutes into their cooking, they heard a shuffle from upstairs and footsteps coming down the stairs. They hoped and prayed it would be Haley but they suddenly frowned when Peyton came into the room, yawning. "This smells nice," she commented before noticing the looks the two girls were giving here. "What?"

"Nevermind,' Brooke mumbled going back to the eggs, "it's only Peyton."

Peyton raised her eyebrow and sat down at the table. "Not the thrill it used to be?" Brooke rolled her eyes and stuck her tongue out at her friend. Taylor sighed and put the greasy bacon on a paper plate, making Peyton drool at the very sight of it.

"What's Haley doing?" Taylor asked while serving Peyton a plate of bacon and eggs. Peyton took a huge bite and started to chew, holding up her finger as a symbol for them to wait. Peyton took a sip of the orange juice and was finally ready to talk.

"I don't know she was still sleeping when I got up but she was mumbling something so I'm guessing she'll be up soon." Brooke and Taylor nodded at each other as Peyton went on. "She's really cute when she sleeps, she's got that teddy bear in her arms and she's all tangled up in the sheets. Definitely a Kodak moment." The three girls smiled at the very thought of it. Haley was just too cute for words sometimes.

They were silent for a minute trying to think of something else to say. A few seconds later they heard footsteps coming down the stairs and they all tensed up. They were all different when they were hungover and they didn't know how Haley was going to be.

Haley emerged into the kitchen letting out a large groan. Her hair was all in her face and her hands were covering her head. "I think I'm dead," she announced, practically falling into the chair next to Peyton.

"Morning Princess," Taylor said with a large grin on her face. She to admit, seeing Haley in this state was funny. Both her and Brooke never imagined living to see the day that their sweet and innocent sister would get drunk. Haley looked up at the goofy grin on Taylor's face and flipped her the finger. "I would put that finger down, honey, I made you breakfast." Brooke coughed signaling that she was offended. Taylor rolled her eyes at Brooke and soon corrected herself, "Brooke and I made breakfast."

Haley had to admit, it did smell good but she didn't think she could stomach it. "Aw, you guys, that's so nice but I don't think I can keep it down." Haley said as nicely as possible. "I'm still feeling a little sick."

Brooke smiled sympathetically and put the plate down in front of her. "Just eat what you can, whatever you don't finish Peyton will gladly finish it up for you." Haley glanced at Peyton, who was currently wolfing down her food.

"Can you remember anything from last night?" Taylor asked as carefully as possible. She didn't know whether or not Haley would remember their phone call.

"Honestly? I can only remember Brooke dragging me out of there and me throwing up all over my clothes." She looked down at her now clean clothes, "and thanks whoever changed me."

Taylor smiled and shrugged it off like it was no big deal.

"Well I wasn't going to let you spend the rest of the night in gross clothes leaning over the toilet. I had some sympathy for you last night," Taylor teased, making Haley laugh before groaning and holding her head.

Brooke looked from sister to sister and smiled. She couldn't remember the last time the three of them ate breakfast together without fighting. She watched as Haley carefully took a bite of the eggs before spitting them back out.

"Peyton?" Haley asked quietly, gesturing to her food. Peyton nodded her head and slid the plate over to her, flicking the regurgitated eggs onto the table. Haley carefully took a sip of her orange juice, praying to god it wouldn't end up coming back up. When it settled in her stomach she looked around and noticed Brooke and Taylor staring at her as if there was something wrong with her. "What?"

"Nothing," they both said in unison making Haley raise her eyebrow. Taylor wanted to bring up the bruises so badly, but she knew now wasn't the time and place.

"Hey, I hate to sound rude, but Tay what are you doing here? I thought you were going on some trip to visit your friends." Both Taylor and Brooke exchanged worried glances realizing Haley didn't remember the hysterical phone call last night.

"Um, Hay," Taylor started gently as possible, she kneeled down beside Haley and rested her hand on Haley's leg, "last night you called me just as I was about to change planes. You were pretty upset and you wanted me to come."

"And you came home to see your drunk little sister?" Haley said with a glint in her eye, she leaned into Taylor and gave her a hug. Taylor smiled and hugged Haley bag, a little too tight then what Haley wanted. Haley felt the unwanted pressure on her bruise and tried to pull back. "Tay, stop, let me go," she whispered, trying to pull back. Taylor immediately pulled back watching as Haley tried to shake the pain off.

"Are you okay?" Brooke asked in concern, like Taylor she wanted to bring up the bruises more than anything. "Does your bruise still hurt?"

Haley immediately sat up in fear and tried to shake it off. "What bruise? I don't know what you're talking about."

"Haley," Brooke sighed as Peyton stopped eating and got up from the table, figuring the sisters would like some privacy, "last night you told me that Christian had hurt you."

"I, I was lying, besides how, how do you even know I have a bruise?" Haley asked in a shaky voice. Brooke got up and walked over to Taylor.

"Because I saw it last night."

"So, you were lifting up my shirt while I was drunk?" Haley half-yelled, getting up from the table, "you had no right, Brooke, no right."

"Haley," Taylor interjected before world war three could ensue, "I believe you about the bruises." Brooke looked at her in disbelief, but knowing Taylor she had a plan.

"You, you do?" Haley whispered shyly, in shock that Taylor would take her word over Brooke's. "Thanks."

Taylor smiled, savoring the seconds of respect Haley had for her right then and there. "But just to be sure, can we see your stomach?"

Haley tugged at her shirt hardly and shook her head. "No."

"I just want to see-" Taylor tried to reason with her but Haley shook her head.

"I thought you believed me?" Haley whispered in tears, "you said you believed me, Taylor!"

"We just want to make sure you're okay, Hales." Brooke said, taking a step closer to Haley. But Haley took a step back and shrunk down in the corner. "Baby, please."

"Don't call me that, I told you I didn't want you to call me that," Haley replied hotly, visibly upset by the nickname. "So this thing was all just a bribe in getting me to talk?"

"No," Taylor replied back quickly. Haley looked at her two sisters and shook her head. It was a bribe, she knew it, and they knew it. "We're just really concerned about you, Hay."

Haley had to laugh at that. "Yeah, whatever. Now if you'll excuse me, I'm going back to bed to get as much sleep as I can. Unlike you two, I have to go to work." Brooke and Taylor both watched in horror as Haley stormed out of the kitchen and out of their sight.

"Just leave her, Brooke," Taylor whispered, watching Brooke creep towards the living room. "She'll calm down eventually."

A few hours after Haley had left for work, Brooke sat in her room staring at the wall. She hated the person Haley had become and she didn't know how much longer she could take.

"Hey," Taylor said knocking on the door before coming in, "I found this when I was unpacking, I don't know what it is though." She handed Brooke a white envelope with her name written on it. Taylor smiled and left the room, shutting the door behind her.

_Brooke._

It was in her dad's handwriting. Brooke gulped as carefully opened the envelope, pulling out a neatly folded piece of paper. She unfolded it and couldn't help but gasp. The date was June 18th, 1987, just 3 months after she was born.

_My little, Brookie,_

_You're probably wondering why I am writing this letter to you. And when I know why, I'll let you know. I am just overwhelmed by your beauty and your ability to light up a room-even on the darkest days. You are just too cute for words and I'd give anything to keep you the way you are right now. Today you're 3 months old, I know, like you care. But today is also a special day because we found out that your mother is pregnant again. Whoops. Your mother just has that irresistible charm that makes her hard to keep away from. That probably grosses you out and I can imagine you saying: 'eew dad!' So I'll stop with our sex life. So in December you're getting yourself a little baby brother or sister. Mikey is pulling for a brother, but Taylor here does not want another baby. She says you're too much and that she needs her beauty sleep at night. Although, she can't keep her hands off of you. She calls you her baby and she wants to be around you all day long. So, Brooke, when that new little baby arrives, I want you to know that you'll always be my little girl. And no matter how much you fight with your new baby brother or sister, I want you to be there for them no matter what. That means taking care of him or her when we're not around and making sure they're not getting picked on in school. Your mother and I already started picking out names. If it's a boy, which I hope it is, we're going to name him after your dear ole dad here. Jimmy Michael James Junior. What a name huh? But if it's another girl, which your mother is pulling for, we've settled on Haley Elizabeth James. I'm going to be writing this to you 3 month periods so next time I write to you, you'll find out whether you're going to have a new baby sister or brother._

_Brookie,_

_It's been 3 months to the day since I've written you my first letter. And guess what? You're going to have a little baby sister. Haley should be here in 3 months time, just in time for Christmas! We're all very excited for Haley's arrival and I hope you are too. Even though you're too young to understand this now, I want you to know that you'll always be my baby girl, even with Haley here. I hope you're not too jealous because you only get to be the baby for 9 months, but I think you'll make a great big sister and Haley will be a bundle of joy. In my last letter I mentioned Taylor being skeptical about the new baby, she still is but she told your mom and me that we could keep Haley and she would keep you as her little baby. She really loves you, kid and I'm hoping you'll be the same with your new baby sister. It's hard to believe that the next time I write you a letter, little Haley will be here with us. And our family will be complete._

_Big Sister, Brookie,_

_She's here, she's really here, sitting right next to me. December 24th, 1987. See, I told you just in time for Christmas. She was so tiny; only 5 pounds and 3 ounces. She cries like the dickens but you did too. She takes after her big sister more than I thought. She's got your eyes, Brookie, and your beautiful smile. I know you're still too young to understand, but my god, Brooke, she's just so wonderful. And the way you look at her, I can just tell you're always going to be there for her. Right now, you are sitting on my lap and Taylor is making faces at little Haley. You keep gnawing on my pen, but that's okay, I still love you. I don't know when I plan on giving this letter to you, or if I will. It was just something I thought I could do to pass my time and to make sure you know that I'll always love you no matter what. Through thick and thin I'm there for you babe. If you have a problem, I'll be the first to fix it. A couple of buddies and I have started a small garage band. We pretty much suck but hey, it's for our own amusement. And when you get older, you'll probably roll your eyes at the thought of your 'old' dad being a singer in a band. And that's okay because I would do the same thing if I were in your position. We've written a few songs about stupid things like beer and women, but this song, this song is special to me in so many ways. I wrote this for you, baby, I wrote this for you._

_Well I want you to notice  
To notice when I'm not around  
And I know that your eyes see straight through me  
And speak to me without a sound _

Chorus:  
I want to hold you  
Protect you from all of the things I've already endured  
I want to show you  
Show you all the things that this life has in store for you  
I'll always love you  
The way that a father should love his daughter

When I walked out this morning  
I cried as I walked to the door  
I cried about how long I'd be away for  
I cried about leaving you all alone

_I want to hold you  
Protect you from all of the things I've already endured  
I want to show you  
Show you all the things that this life has in store for you  
I'll always love you  
The way that a father should love his daughter _

Sweet Little Brooke x2

So I wanted to say this  
Cuz I wouldn't know where to begin  
To explain to you what I have been through  
To explain where your daddy has been

_I want to hold you  
Protect you from all of the things I've already endured  
I want to show you  
Show you all the things that this life has in store for you  
I'll always love you  
The way that a father should love his daughter_

_Sweet Little Brooke.._

_So that's it. Even though you probably won't even get to see that, I'll always know in my heart that it's there. Your mother is calling us for dinner so one last thing before I go. If anything, god forbid, happens to your mother and I, please, please take care of little Haley. She's going to need you as much as you need her and I would hate to see your bond being broken. Now, I'm still debating whether or not I should give this to you. For now, I'm going to hide it in your mother's old suitcase-she'll never know it's there._

_I love you with all my heart, Brookie. _

_-Daddy_

_I'll always love you  
the way that a father should love his daughter_

Brooke read those lines over and over again, still in shock of what she had just read. Never once did her father mention anything about writing her letters when she was growing up. And she never knew about that amazing song her father had written her.

Taylor came back into the room and stared at Brooke, who was staring blankly at the paper, tears falling onto the page. "Brooke? Are you okay?" Brooke shook her head and folded the letter up and put it in her back pocket.

"No," she whispered, making Taylor concerned. "I have to go somewhere, okay? I'll be back later." Taylor nodded and watched as Brooke disappeared out of the door and listened as the door shut behind her.

"I wonder what that was about," she mumbled as the phone rang. She walked out into the hall and picked it up. "Hello?"

"Hi, Taylor?" Karen's voice came on the other end, "this is Karen."

Taylor smiled at the older woman's voice. "Hi, Karen, how are you?"

"I'm good, good. Listen, do you know where Haley is? She was supposed to come in at 3 and it's now past 5. Jake really needs to get home to Jenny and I hate having him wait here."

Taylor raised her eyebrow, in shock that Haley would skip work. "Karen, what are you talking about? Haley left 2 hours ago for work. I saw her leave myself."

Karen sighed on the other end. "She never showed up."

Brooke's eyes burned as the drops of salty tears cascaded down her cheeks. Her makeup was all down her face but she could care less. Her life was plummeting down and there was nothing she could do to stop it.

A lie. She lived a lie. A meaningless life she led but it was fabricated into glitz and glam. Head cheerleader, most popular girl in the 11th grade, and girlfriend of one of the star basketball players. When she walked, her silky brown hair bounced around as her perfectly made up face shined as if she just stepped out of a magazine. She seemed flawless, and to some she was. Brooke James was the epitome of perfection and was considered the poster child for it.

But the mask she lived behind began to corrode, and soon enough her demons became her reality and she was running from something that wasn't there.

The church looked welcoming as it did 5 years ago when she first stepped foot in it to mourn the death of her parents. Her hands trembled as she grasped the doorknob and heaved the door open with all her might. Though her vision was blurred from the tears that were waiting to drop out of her hazel eyes, she continued to walk down the aisle, running her hands on every other pew.

Her parents got married in this church. Her parents christened her in this church. Her parents were bid farewell in this church. She was the only one in the church, just like the only one left after her parent's funeral. It still hadn't hit her that they were gone. She stayed afterwards just staring at the statue of Jesus, trying to figure out why he took her parent's away.

Confession. Lydia and Jimmy always urged Brooke and Haley to go to confession at least once a month to make sure god forgave them for the sins they committed. But Brooke never thought she was committing any sins. Sure she let the F bomb slip once in a while, but she never did anything bad.

But she was bad. Having sex before marriage, making the people around her feel like crap, and most of all, ignoring her sister and making her feel like she was worthless. Worthless. That's pretty much how she felt right now. Her dad wanted her to take care of Haley, not berate her and make her feel like the shittiest person in the world.

Brooke took a deep breath and headed over towards the confession area. She stepped inside, sitting down and suddenly finding herself claustrophobic. The priest carefully pulled the sliding window open and waited for her to begin.

"Okay," she whispered, taking another deep breath. After she exhaled, she was ready to go. "I'm sorry, but this is really hard for me. You're just going to have to bear with me for a bit. I had this all planned out but it was filled with curses and other words you're not suppose to say in church." He chuckled and motioned for her to take her time.

"I, I must be honest though. I haven't really been to church since my parents died 5 years ago. The only time I come is for their anniversary mass and I sometimes find that hard to go to. Everyday I wake up and find myself asking 'why'? What was so bad about them that they had to die? They were good parents, not the best, but definitely good parents. Growing up, we didn't have that much money because my parents were trying to put my brother through law school. But even though it put a financial burden on their lives, they never regretted it once. It made them so happy to see us achieve our dreams.

"My best friend, her mother died about 5 years before mine did. I remember her being so sad about it and I couldn't even imagine the thought of losing my mom so young. But I did. And my imagination became my reality and now things are just so shi-, crappy, things are just so crappy. But, I can't let anyone know it. I'm supposed to be the strong one and if I fall apart, I'm afraid everyone else will. I hate crying in front of people and only have done it once in front of my sister and once in front of my friend, Peyton. She's the one whose mom died. But she was so strong about it. It's been almost 10 years for her and she can talk about her mom with ease and no tears. I can't. Just the thought of my parents makes me want to cry because I know I'll never see them again.

"They'll never see me and my sister grow up and have our own kids. My dad will never be able to walk me down the aisle when I get married. And worst part is, they'll never get to see how much my sister, Taylor has changed. Taylor hated my parents growing up. She thought they were out to get her and never let her have any fun. She was always a little wild, and I guess I took after her more than I thought. But now, now, Taylor is so amazing to my little sister and me. She has given up so much just to make sure we're all right. And there are no words in the English language that could possibly describe how much I love her and how grateful I am to her. She's only 22, but she must feel like 42. She went from wild woman to a domestic 'mother' type figure to us. And I just can't believe how lucky we are to have her and I'll never ever hold anything against her again."

Brooke had to praise herself for doing well. A whole 5-minutes of talking without shedding a single tear. But now as she moved onto Haley, she felt her eyes water before she even spoke.

"But, Haley," Brooke began, trying her best not to breakdown in front of the stranger sitting in the booth next to her. "Haley's my other sister. My poor, broken, fragile little sister. If anyone took the death of my parents hard, it was Haley. She didn't have many friends so my mom was her best friend. They did everything together and I just remember how happy Haley was around my mom.

"Growing up, we were so close. I was like her hero," Brooke let out a little laugh before she continued, "But even though we were close, she did get on my nerves. I know it was just a typical little sister thing, but when she did get on my nerves, I let her have it. I used, I used to tell her that she was unwanted at first but my parents only kept her because they had no place to send her. My god, she used to cry every time I told her that. Back then I thought it was funny because she got worked up over something I thought was nothing. I also used to tell her she was adopted. We all looked like my dad and she's the only one who looked like my mom. Now that got her hysterical.

"And as awful as that all sounds, sometimes Taylor and I would bet on who could make Haley cry the hardest. It was usually me because I knew how to make her upset from sharing a room with her all those years. She could never sleep without my mom tucking her in and when she got annoying, I would tell her that mom wouldn't tuck her in anymore and that she was going to make her sleep outside. My mom and dad would always sit me down and tell me how wrong it was for making Haley cry, but I always ignored them and did it anyways.

"Now, Haley does nothing but cry. She cries because she misses my parents, she cries because Taylor went somewhere without saying goodbye, and she cries," Brooke paused, tearing up at the next sentence, "and she cries herself to sleep practically every night. And it's not just crying, it's heart-wrenching sobs that make her body shake and choke when she's gone too far. And it's so, so hard to sit there and watch her fall apart, knowing that you can't do a single thing.

"And then, then Nathan Scott came along and robbed her of having a normal chance at life." And with that being said, she broke down completely, retelling the horrific event that will forever change their lives. "He tried, he tried to rape her because she wouldn't have sex with him. He wanted to be the first man to lay all of the James girls, but when Haley said no, he flipped out and tried to force her into it. And now, now she's afraid to go near any guy that crosses her path. But now, Haley's different. Apart of me doesn't want to let her grow up because of all the fear and rejection she'll face, but she is and like it or not, I have to accept it. But I can't. Not when she's out at parties getting herself drunk and dancing with ass-idiots who beat her senseless. She's killing herself and I want her to stop. But I can't make her stop she won't listen to me. She tells me that I'm over-reacting and that I need to lighten up." Brooke looked down for a minute and tried to stop her shaking knee with all the strength she had. She sniffled and wiped her eyes, fighting for the will to go on.

"I remember one night after a long day of school, I was getting ready to tuck her in. I know I can never replace my mom, but I just want to be there for Haley as much as I can. I used to be such a bi- such a horrible person to her during school. I would humiliate her in front of everyone and watch as my 'friends' made fun of her and stole her books. Lucas, my now ex-boyfriend, and Peyton used to try so hard to get me to go stand up for her and be nice to her. But I wouldn't do it. I just couldn't. Sure, apart of me wanted to, but there was something holding me back. But anyways, after I tucked her in and made sure she was all settled, she wanted me to stay with her for a couple of minutes so that she could fall asleep. I sort of knew it was coming, but I just humored her and watch her work up the courage to ask me. We got to talking about nicknames, and I wanted to call her baby because whether she likes it or not, she is my baby. She's the only thing I have now and I need her as much as she needs me. But she wouldn't let me call her baby because my mom called her baby and then she broke into a fit of sobs.

"I felt so horrible for making her cry and I told her I would never call her baby again. It's so hard to fight that urge every time it comes up in my mouth. I just want her to know she's loved and that I would be totally lost without her. I'm hoping she knows that because if she didn't, it would make me feel pretty crummy. Haley used to tell me I was so strong, but in reality I'm not. I just pretend to be strong in front of her because she needs all the mothering and comfort she can get. That's why I think of her as my baby, because I always find myself taking care of her and worrying about her when she's not home on time or if she's in a bad mood. And it's so hard to watch her go through life in her current state.

"Call me crazy, and believe me I probably I am for even thinking this. And I hate admitting it, but I always wonder if Nathan didn't try to, try to hurt her, I wonder if we would be this close now? And as horrible and condescending as this sounds, it probably wouldn't be this way now. I would still probably be humiliating her in school and watching as her world fell apart. Now, I find myself wanting to be around her every waking hour, just making sure she's happy. And I am going to do that, I don't care what anyone says, they can't stop me. I love my sister and no one, I mean no one is going to hurt her every again."

Brooke wiped the few tears that remained on her face and looked at the priest. It was obvious he was in a state of shock but she could care less. Even though she just confessed everything to a total stranger, she felt so much better. It was all off her chest and she knew he wouldn't tell anyone or let alone, judge her.

"My, my." Was all he could come up with. He smiled at her and she smiled back. "Believe me when I say this, your sister is incredibly lucky to have you."

"Thanks," Brooke whispered, getting up from the seat. "Thanks for listening."

She smiled one last time and he smiled back, watching the amazing girl get up.

"And I think your sister knows how much you love her. I can tell by the way you talk about her. She sounds like a lovely young woman." Brooke smiled wider now and left the confession booth with a burst of happiness. Everything she ever wanted to get off her chest was off and it felt like huge weight was lifted off her shoulders.

* * *

**So that's Brooke's whole confession. Hope you enjoyed it. And I know you're all waiting for Lucas and Brooke to get back together, but there's a couple more storylines I want to use with them and maybe they'll get back together in the future. And don't worry about the story ending, I've got this planned out until at least chapter 30. So, once again thanks for your reviews, I love reading them. **

**So I guess the next chapter is the one you'll all be waiting for. The big Brooke/Haley confrontation. I'll try and have that up by early next week.**

**-Kristin**


	22. You'll always be my baby

**Hey, so I'm here earlier than expected! I just wanted to get this chapter out of the way. I was so tired the other night that I forgot to put the disclaimer with this. Because I did sort of borrow things from Peyton's confessions**

**Disclaimer-**_I don't own anything OTH related. They all belong to Mark Schwan, blah blah. And if I did own them? Oh boy what I would do. The only thing I own is the DVD'd, the soundtrack and Joie's autograph. So please don't sue my broke ass._

**Okay so I have to dedicate this chapter to Britney a.k.a TutorGurl because she was as patient as she could be and waited for forever for this chapter...anwyays, hope you all enjoy it.**

* * *

Haley sat uncomfortably wedged between Bevin and another cheerleader, Noelle, in the back of Theresa's car. Haley couldn't believe herself. She had decided to skip work, without even bothering to call and go to an end of the year party at Duke.

"Are you excited, Tutor Girl?" Theresa asked looking at Haley in the rearview mirror. Haley bit her lip and nervously smiled. "Good, there's going to be tons of hot college guys there for you."

Guys. She couldn't help but squirm in her seat a little bit. "Great," she managed to mumble without the other three looking at her suspiciously.

"You don't mind drugs do you?" Bevin asked from Haley's right, "Noelle's boyfriend, Rick, has got some coke lined up for us."

"Like, coca-cola?" Haley laughed, trying to hide the fear in her voice. The three cheerleaders let out a fake laugh.

"Aw, you're just too cute." Noelle commented from Haley's other side, "but coke as in cocaine. He said he'll have a few lines waiting for us when we get there." Haley's first instinct was to call Brooke and get the hell out of there, but the next sentence out of Noelle's moth changed her mind. "You know Brooke went to a party with us here once last year. She chickened out with the cocaine though."

"She did?" Haley asked, surprised. Here was her chance to prove that she was not the same as Brooke. It was her turn to show them that she was more than just Brooke's little sister. "Don't worry, I won't chicken out."

"Good," the three of them chorused, smirking at each other. Tonight was the night they were going to corrupt Tutor Girl and Brooke was nowhere around to stop them.

About 20 minutes later, the girls had finally arrived at Duke. Haley got of the car nervously and followed the three cheerleaders into the large, over crowded fraternity house. Haley followed Bevin and Theresa into the backroom as Noelle went ahead of them to look for Rick. Haley took a deep breath as she walked into the back room, immediately trying to suppress the gasp that was forming in her mouth. There stood Rick with a menacing grin on his face, happy to see fresh meat.

"Rick, this is Haley," Bevin introduced the two as Rick extended his hand. Haley shook it awkwardly, "this is her first time around drugs so take it easy." Rick laughed and Haley swallowed uncomfortable, watching the others in the room do their lines of coke. She reluctantly sat on the couch and watched as Rick made a line on a blank CD.

"We'll start you off with one line, then we can go from there." Rick said while handing the CD to Haley. She took it with trembling hands and watched as all eyes turned to her, waiting for her to sniff it.

"Thanks," Haley muttered, staring down at the cocaine. She could see half her face in the uncovered part of the CD. This wasn't her and this wasn't who she wanted to be.

"Come on, Tutor Girl, snort that thing," Theresa taunted from beside her, "I thought you weren't like Brooke."

"I'm not," Haley was quick to say, looking back up at her before looking back down at the drugs. _Don't do this_, she told herself, hands starting to shake from the nervousness. The whispers in the room seemed to drown out as she stared intensely at the cocaine.

"Haley!" Theresa's voice snapped, bring Haley out of her thoughts. Haley jumped at the yelling, dropping the CD and letting the coke spread across the floor.

"I am so sorry," Haley said frantically, turning away from the 7 or 8 glares she was receiving, " I can just, just pick it up." She bent down and tried to push the drugs onto the CD but was quickly pulled up by Rick.

"What the hell is your problem you little bitch?" He spat at her, pushing her away from him. "You ruined perfectly good cocaine!"

"I'm, sorry," Haley said with fear in her voice. She knew this was a bad idea in the first place. Now she was stuck miles from home with a bunch of drug dealers and crack whores. "I, I should just go."

"You're damn right you should go," Theresa bitched from the couch, "You may not think this, but you are exactly like Brooke." Theresa said, a smile curving at the corner of her lips, "pathetic. It must come with growing up parentless."

Haley tried to ignore the comment and bit her lip in sadness. "Well, I'm just going to go then," she whispered, turning on her heel and heading for the door, ignoring the giggling from behind her.

How could she be so stupid? Thinking those girls were here friends. Brooke was totally right about them and she should have listened to her in the first place. Brooke would kill her if she knew where she was. Peyton had a bad experience at Duke last year and made Haley promise she would never go to a Duke party. But she lied. And now she was stuck without a ride, probably miles and miles away from home. She cursed and fished through her purse for her cell phone. She never even liked purses before the cheer nazi's came along. She dialed the numbers with a shaking hand, praying to god she would be there.

Brooke stretched her legs out across Peyton's couch, making Peyton frown when she came back from the bathroom.

"Well, make yourself at home," Peyton commented, sitting down on the floor and leaning her back against the couch. Brooke giggled and nodded, signaling she was going to. "I'm so bored sitting here. Let's go out and do something."

Brooke shrugged and looked at Peyton before going back to staring at the ceiling. "What do you have in mind, Blondie?"

Peyton rolled her eyes, she only suggested doing something, and she didn't want to be the one to make up the plans. "I don't know, go out? We could call Jake and Lucas and go out on a double date." Brooke laughed bitterly, and swung her legs over the couch, now in a sitting position.

"It would only be the three of us. Lucas and I broke up." Brooke said with no emotion in her voice. She was still pissed off about what Lucas had said to her about Haley and Nathan. Peyton's eyes widened and she put her hand on Brooke's knee. "Yeah, well his loss right? Can you believe the asshole made me choose between him and Haley?"

"He made you choose?" Peyton's mouth fell down in surprise, she had to admit though, she would have guessed Brooke choosing Lucas over Haley. "I'm really sorry, Brooke. I'm here for you." Brooke managed a small smile. Peyton smiled back, suddenly reaching into her pocket as her phone rang. "Hello?"

"Peyton?" Haley's voice shook, she was so relieved Peyton picked up her phone. "Look, before you say anything," she yelled over the loud music, "are you with Brooke?"

"Yeah, why? Where are you I can barely hear you over that music." Peyton said, covering her unoccupied ear with her left hand. Brooke's ears perked up and she leaned in closer to listen.

"Okay, well don't let her know I'm on the phone. I sort of went to a party at Duke with Theresa and Bevin and, and," Haley started to say, but was soon cute off by Peyton's voice.

"DUKE!" Peyton yelled, making Brooke jump in her seat. Brooke lent in again but Peyton pushed her back onto the couch, getting up to her feet. Peyton looked at Brooke and then looked away, knowing Brooke would have a heart attack if she knew Haley was at Duke.

"Yeah, and then they tried to get me to do cocaine-"

"COCAINE!" Peyton's voice erupted, making Brooke get up and stare at her straight in the eye.

"Who are you talking to?" Brooke questioned, wondering who the hell was getting Peyton all riled up.

Haley heard Brooke's voice and she froze. "Peyton, please don't tell her it's me. Please? Will you just come and get me?"

Peyton sighed and relented, knowing Brooke would go psycho if she found out that was Haley. "Fine, I'll be there as soon as I can. Just wait outside, okay?"

Haley swallowed hard and nodded her head, "Thank you so much, Peyton. I owe you big time." Peyton snorted, letting her know she did. She hung up the phone and grabbed her coat.

"What was that all about?" Brooke asked for the tenth time, "Who's doing cocaine at Duke?"

"Jake," Peyton said, hating herself for lying to her best friend. But Haley didn't want her to say anything and she wasn't going to break that promise. "He went to a party with some of the guys from the team and they had cocaine there and he felt uncomfortable so he called for a ride home."

"Oh," Brooke's face scrunched up in surprise. She never knew Jake was the party type. He always liked staying at home with Peyton and Jenny, something she wished she could have done with Lucas. "Well, I'll come with you then."

"No," Peyton said quickly, she put her hand up to stop Brooke from coming closer, "No, it's fine. I can go by myself. You can stay here and watch TV." Brooke let out a laugh and shook her head, knowing Peyton was lying through her teeth.

"Peyton, who was on the phone?"

"I told you, Jake," Peyton said, turning away from Brooke's icy glare. Brooke had a knack for telling when you were lying and it drove Peyton nuts. "Okay," she sighed, finally giving in. "Promise not to flip out?"

"Peyton this is me you're talking to," Brooke said putting her hands on her hips. She watched as Peyton put her leather jacket on her and pulled on a curl.

"Exactly," Peyton stated slowly, "that wasn't Jake." Brooke rolled her eyes, it was kind of obvious. "That was Haley."

"What?" Brooke yelled, her tone dropping from her normal cheery voice, to a sharp, cold voice. "She's at Duke?" Peyton nodded as Brooke stormed out the door, "Hurry up!" She called out from behind her, making Peyton shut the door and quickly run to catch up with her.

The ride to the college was silent. Peyton moved her head along to the music and Brooke stared at the window, ready to snap any minute. Peyton decided it was best that she leave Brooke alone, and let her think about this whole Haley situation. She didn't know Brooke was thinking but she figured it was on the lines of raising major hell when they got home.

They finally pulled up to the campus and saw Haley sitting on the stairs, looking scared and lost. Peyton beeped the horn, signaling she was here and Haley jumped at the noise. She smiled thankfully and ran to the car, hopping into the back seat.

"Thank you so much Peyton," She repeated over and over again her smile about to fade when she found out Brooke was there.

"Yeah well don't thank me yet," Peyton mumbled watching as Brooke turned around with the same icy glare on her face from earlier.

"Brooke," Haley choked out, her eyes widening in surprise. "What, what are you doing here?" She shrank back in her seat, dreading facing the wrath known as her sister.

"Shut up and sit there," Brooke snapped, pointing her finger straight at Haley. Haley gulped and did as she was told, waiting for Peyton to drive off. When she did, Haley shifted onto the other side of the backseat, farther away from Brooke as possible.

Peyton didn't even dare say a word. The tension in her car was so thick you could cut it with a knife. Like before, Peyton just nodded along to the music and thanked God she wasn't going to be in the James house tonight. What felt like forever, Peyton finally turned into their driveway and winced as Haley got out and slammed the door shut behind her, Brooke doing the same thing. She drove off, lucky not to be caught in the crossfire.

Haley slammed the front door shut, pissing Brooke off even more. Brooke threw the door open and slammed it shut behind her, making Haley turn around in fear. All she wanted to do was go to bed and avoid this whole thing.

Brooke stood there, shaking her head in disbelief that her sister would do something so stupid. "Cocaine? Jesus Christ Haley! What the hell were you thinking?"

"Don't yell at me! You're the one who almost did it too, so don't you dare call me out on that." Haley yelled back, ready to pick a fight with Brooke. Usually when she fought with Brooke she didn't bother saying a word, but this was different.

"I did not!" Brooke gasped. She hoped Haley didn't find out about her little incident last year. Theresa and her were becoming real close and her rejection towards the drug was what tore them apart.

"You did too. Theresa told me that you chickened out though." Haley said, making Brooke madder by the minute.

"Don't believe a word that bitch says. God, it's like she's brainwashed you into being one of them" Brooke said, throwing her hands up in the air out of frustration. She knew how those girls could be and it killed her to think of Haley becoming one of them. "What the hell is up with you lately?"

"Nothing," Haley snapped rolling her eyes. She had to admit, she wasn't herself but she didn't see anything wrong with that. "What the hell is up with _you_?"

"Nothing," Brooke mimicked, not believing a word Haley was saying. "You're staying out late, partying, doing drugs!"

"I didn't do drugs!" Haley was quick to defend herself. The last thing she wanted was Brooke thinking she's a crackwhore. "I didn't do them, okay?" She whispered looking down at her feet shyly.

"I don't care if you didn't do them!" Brooke yelled, making Haley quiet, "you're staying out late, hanging out with the wrong crowd and nearly doing drugs. Haley, you're scaring me."

Haley looked up at Brooke for a second and shrugged. "Yeah, well now you know how it feels."

Brooke raised her eyebrow in confusion.

"What the hell is that supposed to mean?" Brooke bitched back defensively. Haley gave her a look as if she knew what she was talking about. "Well go on, I'm waiting."

"Don't you see it?" Haley yelled, almost in tears. Brooke shook her head and waited for Haley to go on. "I'm exactly like you, Brooke. Or how you used to be. Now you know how it feels to be worried sick when you're not home on time or finding out you almost did drugs."

Brooke was silent for a minute before realizing it was all true. She would come home at the wee hours of the morning drunk out of her mind most times. No one was there to stop her so she kept doing it and doing it until Peyton talked some sense into her. It was Peyton that stopped her, not Haley. "Yeah, well if you didn't like the person I was why didn't you try and stop me?"

"Because, Brooke!" Haley yelled, making Brooke jump in shock, "Why the hell would you listen to me anyways? You ignored me in school, you practically pushed me out of your life and when I did try to talk to you, you would tell me to mind my own business."

"Yeah, well you should have tried harder," Brooke snapped, ungrateful for Haley's past attempts at help. "You didn't try hard enough to stop me. I bet you didn't even care."

"Didn't care? Brooke I fucking cared so much that I waited up for you until you got home. Okay? I fucking made sure you got into bed okay and that you didn't get sick all over yourself. I fucking covered for you when Mike got suspicious and I fucking tried to stop you when you lost your virginity to Nathan. But you know what you did all those times?" Haley snapped, not knowing where all this rage was coming from. She was crying now but she didn't care. Nothing mattered anymore. Brooke shook her head, afraid of what Haley's answer would be. "You told me to leave you the fuck alone and that you wanted me out of your life. Every single time you were drunk you told me that."

"I never meant it," Brooke said back in her own defense, practically ignoring the comment about Nathan. "You do stupid things when you're drunk."

"Of course you didn't, you never mean to do anything," Haley muttered under her breath, but it was loud enough for Brooke to hear.

"What the hell do you mean by that?" Brooke commented right back. The two sisters had never got into this type of fight before and both of them were getting angrier by the minute. "Come on, Haley! Spit it out. What else do I never mean to do?"

Haley glared at Brooke and was ready to let her have it. "You might want to sit down, it could take a while." She replied coldly watching Brooke roll her eyes. "You never meant to make fun of me, right? It was all just a big joke to you, wasn't it? It made you feel better about your own insecurities. Make fun of Haley and that will fix everything. Well it might of fixed you, but it broke me. Broke me, Brooke. You know how many times you humiliated me by just simply turning away when we passed each other in the halls? You made me feel worthless, like I wasn't good enough to share the same air as you. I was so sick and tired of people calling me Little Brooke. I'm not like you, but people don't understand that. And you want to know something?"

"What?" Brooke whispered, sitting down on the couch and looking at her feet. She was letting all of Haley's words sink in and she was starting to get tears in her eyes.

"I cried myself to sleep every night," Haley said, more tears welling up in her eyes, "because of you making fun of me. It had nothing to do with Mom and Dad. It was all you, Brooke. I didn't want to say anything because I thought I'd be nice and spare you the heartache. But when you made wisecracks about me, they hurt worse than losing Mom and Dad. When, when you made fun of me in front of your friends, I wanted to kill myself. I wanted a way out of there and taking my own life was the only option I had, Brooke. You drove me to the point where I almost did. You made me feel like I was the worst person in the world and that I didn't deserve to live. But that didn't hurt the most.

"What hurt the most was you coming home and pretending like it was okay. Like you did nothing wrong. But, you did so many things wrong, Brooke. And I let them go. Because I forgave you, because you're my sister. And because you're the only goddamn thing I have left in my life. And when you pushed me away like that, I felt like I had lost you too. And that fucking scared me. Do you know how it feels to be disconnected? Of course not, because you never show your emotions. You don't need to be strong in front of me. I don't need you to act all macho around me. You held me all the times I cried, and I want to do that for you. I want to be there for you when you're upset, because believe it or not, I know how to comfort people. Sometimes I wish, I wish you would just stop babying me."

At that point, Brooke was crying as well. "I'm crying right now, can't you see that? Watch the tears fall down my fucking face. Are you happy to know that I'm not fucking dead inside? I'm not hollow inside, I have a heart that fucking beats and rips to pieces when you cry yourself to sleep at night. Why didn't you just tell me, Haley? I would have done something, I'm not so fucking wrapped up in myself that I wouldn't take the time to change. And to prove to you that I'm not self-absorbed, I broke up with my boyfriend because I chose you over him." Haley did her best to hide the look of shock that appeared on her face. "That's right. I chose you Haley. But right now something tells me that I made the wrong choice. I am so fucking sorry that I take care of you and make sure you're okay. Send me to jail for caring about you.

"Fine, I'll admit it, I was a bitch to you in school, okay? Is that what you want to hear? If you thought it made me feel good making fun of you then you're not so smart. I hated it, Haley, I fucking hated it. I cursed and cursed at myself for doing it to you, but I had to. I had to prove to Theresa and Bevin that I could be mean. And don't ask me why I did it, because I don't have an answer. They told me to do it. And I listened to them. I didn't realize how horrible they are until I realized how much they hurt you. So I tried to get them to lay off of you and as a result I practically lost my captain title and lost two friends."

"I never asked you to go against your 'friends'. It's obvious you would stop at nothing to please them." Haley snapped at Brooke, not believing a word she had said.

"You know what?" Brooke said while raising her hand, "I am not going to have this conversation with you anymore, because you're just going to make me more angrier than I already am. Good night," she spat bitterly, heading for the stairs.

And it's as if the sudden words made Haley change into a different person. "Where are you going?"

Brooke stopped in the middle of the stairs and laughed bitterly, "to bed, where the hell do you think I'm going?" Haley turned away shyly and shrugged. "You're a big girl now, you can go to bed yourself. At least that's what you told me last week."

"I can't," Haley whispered, breaking down in tears. Brooke started to head up the stairs again but stopped when Haley continued. "I can't." She sobbed harder, falling into the couch and curling herself into a ball. "Don't leave me, Brooke."

Brooke heart sank and seeing her sister in that state broke her heart. "What are you talking about?" Haley did her best to regain her composure and sat up so Brooke could sit down next to her.

"I lied, Brooke. I lied. I can't go to sleep without you." Brooke stared at her sister in disbelief, hoping Haley would get on with the story so it could clear things up. "Every night after you went to bed, I snuck into your room and slept on the edge of the bed." Haley stared at Brooke, waiting for her reaction.

"Why didn't you just tell me?" Brooke said as kind as possible. She pulled Haley onto her lap and rested Haley's head on her shoulder. Haley sniffled and shifted so she could wrap her arms around Brooke.

"Because," she whispered, "I figured that once in for all I could grow up and get on with my life. But I can't. I need you to tuck me in, I need you there with me because, you make me feel safe and protected. And because it reminds me of when we were little. When you told me you would tuck me in even when mom was home. Now that she's gone, I still trusted you to do it, and you did. And I am grateful for it, Brooke. And it was hard to tell you not to do it, so, so, so, hard. I would just lay awake with Mr. Waffles staring at the ceiling. And sometimes I would put him where you usually sleep and pretend it was you. But it wasn't the same, wasn't the same at all. So in the middle of the night, we would sneak in and sleep with you."

Brooke held Haley tighter and gently rocked her to help stop the tears. "Aw, baby, come here," she suddenly realized her words and tried to look apologetic when Haley looked at her.

"You called me baby," Haley whispered, her voice cracked and it was nasal from the buckets of tears she had cried.

"I know, and I'm really sorry, I just sort of slipped out. I promise I won't call you baby again," Brooke explained quickly. She felt horrible and hoped Haley wouldn't start crying again. She looked confused when a small smile appeared on Haley's face.

"No, don't," Haley said with a bright smile now on her face, "I know I said I didn't want you to call me that, but I like it. It makes me feel loved."

Brooke couldn't help but smile. "Well you are loved, baby." Haley smiled and snuggled in closer, allowing Brooke to rest her head on top of hers.

"I know I am." She tried to suppress a yawn but she was too tired to fight it. "Alright, it's bed time for Haley-bub." Brooke glanced at the clock, not realizing it was that late.

"Okay," she waited for Haley to get up, but she didn't. "You need to get up so I can kind of get up," she pointed out, still waiting for Haley to get up.

"I don't want to," Haley groaned bringing her legs back up that Brooke just knocked down. "Carry me up."

"Yeah, right, I'm not that strong." Brooke teased, resulting in a slap from Haley. "Seriously, get up, my legs are numb."

"I'm not getting up," Haley said, shifting her position so now she was curled up on top of Brooke again. "We can just stay here all night."

"No thanks," Brooke countered, trying to push Haley off of her, "Haley," she groaned, "I'm not carrying you up the stairs!"

"Why not?" Haley asked, trying to put on the sweetest face possible, "I'm your baby, remember? You're supposed to take care of me and do what I say."

"No, that's not how it works. I am not whipped. You cannot whip me. I will not let you whip me," Brooke babbled trying to avoid the pout on Haley's face. That was the pout that got Haley everything she ever wanted in life. "Haley, stop with the face right now. I told you already, I am not carrying you to bed." But Haley pretended to look sad and leaned back into her chest, making Brooke groan and give up. "Fine. But you're getting on my back." Haley squealed and jumped onto the couch, waiting for Brooke to get up. "Hop on, baby," Brooke said unenthusiastically, groaning from the extra weight when Haley hopped on. "If I fall, don't blame me for breaking your back." Haley giggled as Brooke struggled up the stairs, heading for Haley's room. "Now remember to duck down, don't want you to hit your head." Brooke said in a motherly tone, Haley rolled her eyes and did as she was told, yelping as Brooke dropped her on the bed. "Are you happy now?"

"Very," Haley said in the cutest voice she could muster, she crawled to the head of the bead and got underneath the covers. "I think I lost Mr. Waffles."

"Again?" Brooke cried out in disbelief, "we need to chain that thing to you. How you manage to lose him is beyond me. He should be in here, we slept here last night." Haley shrugged and watched as Brooke looked under the bed from him. Haley grinned and pulled him out from the covers, gently smacking Brooke on the head with him. "I found him," she said sweetly, watching Brooke rub her head.

"Great," Brooke mumbled, sitting on the bed, "you're going to bed in your clothes?" Haley yawned and nodded, obviously too tired to change. "Well, if you insist. I'm too tired to change too," she settled into the bed, forgetting all about the light. "Crap, we forgot the light."

"Is Taylor home?" Haley asked, sitting up in bed. Brooke shook her head and Haley frowned. "I'll shut if off, it's the least I can do."

"Yeah, seeing as you nearly broke my back with your fat ass." Haley stuck her tongue out and flicked the light switch off, jumping over Brooke and back into bed. "Ow," Brooke moaned as Haley's foot kicked her in the face, "now you're trying to break my face? Baby, this is not good at all."

"I'm sorry, Brookie," Haley said, leaning over and kissing Brooke on the forehead, "I didn't mean to kick you. I hope you can forgive me." And there was that cute smile again. How could anyone resist that?

"I forgive you," Brooke said with her own cute smile. "I taught you that thing and I can't believe I fall for it still."

"You just can't resist the charm of your little baby sister, huh?" Haley said with a wink while lying back down in the bed, moving closer to Brooke. Brooke put her arm around Haley and Haley moved her head up onto Brooke's shoulder. Just like every night. "I love you, Brooke."

Brooke smiled, but didn't respond. Haley looked up at her in confusion and became nervous when she didn't say anything for a few minutes. "Did I say something wrong?" Haley asked shyly, hoping she didn't offended Brooke.

"No, no, no, baby," Brooke was quickly to correct her. "I'm trying to think of something to say that will match that. But there are no words to describe how much I freaking love you, baby. I love you so much that there are no words to even begin to describe how lucky I am to have you as a sister. There are no words to describe how much you mean to me and there certainly no words, in any language to describe how much I love you. So no matter how many times I say it, it doesn't measure up to half as much as I mean it. " She bent down and kissed Haley on the forehead, realizing Haley was fast asleep. She wasn't sure if she heard her or not, and if she didn't it would give her more time to find the perfect words to describe how much she loved her sister.

* * *

**Okay, so next chapter I'm taking a break from all this drama, and doing some serious sisterly bonding between the three. Thanks again for the reviews**

**Kristin**


	23. A trip down memory lane

**Well here I am. I know, finally, right? I won't babble on, I hope you enjoy it and it was sort of worth the wait.**

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Brooke raised her eyebrow as Taylor struggled to get through the front door. She was currently carrying two boxes and it was an obvious struggle for her. It had been at least a week since the fall out with Haley. Everything was pretty much back to normal, Haley managed to avoid the cheer Nazis and them confronting her about the party. 

"No, no, Brooke, please don't get up, I've got it," Taylor said sarcastically, dropping the two boxes next to the couch. Brooke looked up from her magazine and shrugged.

"I wasn't going to anyways," she said, going back to the magazine. Taylor rolled her eyes and snatched the magazine out her hands, making Brooke gasp. "Hey! I was reading about Avril Lavigne's engagement. Eew."

Taylor wrinkled her nose in disgust and threw the magazine on the table. "Eew is right. Who the hell wants to marry her? Whatever, now get off your lazy ass and help me carry these boxes up stairs."

"Why? What the heck did you bring home?" Brooke made a face and groaned as Taylor pulled her up from the couch. "Jeeze, watch it, I'm getting up, Taylor." Taylor rolled her eyes at how whiny Brooke was being, it was just one box, what was the big deal?

"Well you know how after Mom and Dad died we sort of put a bunch of their stuff in storage?" Brooke nodded and grabbed the lightest box and followed Taylor up the stairs, "well I was feeling sort of nostalgic so I went and got a few things. Just some old home movies and I think a few photo albums."

"Aw, that's such a great idea. I would have never thought of doing something like that. Haley wanted to do something like that last year but I don't think she ever got around doing it." Brooke said, stopping outside their parent's room. Taylor motioned for her to bring the box into the room and Brooke followed, dropping it down on the floor next to the other box.

"Where's Haley? She'll probably want to look at this too," Taylor said, opening one of the boxes and watching as Brooke did the same. Brooke was too engrossed at the photos in the box to hear Taylor. "Brooke?" Taylor snapped her finger to get her attention.

Brooke quickly jerked up and shook her head. "Oh, uh I think she might be in her room. Long day at school I guess. I'll go get her." Taylor nodded and watched Brooke skip out of the room, obviously excited about looking through the old pictures and watching the old home movies.

"Are you decent, baby?" Brooke knocked on Haley's door before she opened it. Haley looked up at her with a frown.

"Tigger, the whole point of knocking is to wait for the other person on the other side of the door to say to come in. I mean I could have been naked!" Haley exclaimed but quickly breaking into a grin when Brooke laughed.

"Hales, we've been through this millions of times, we grew up sharing a room, I've seen you naked." Brooke laughed, sitting down on the bed next to her sister. Haley shrugged and turned away shyly, trying to rid herself of the embarrassment.

"Okay and the naked conversation stops. To what do I owe this pleasure of my sister paying me a visit on this Friday night?" Haley said in surprise, wondering where Brooke's social life went.

"Well," Brooke explained, pushing Haley slightly, trying to think of why she had come in here the first place. Oh yeah, the boxes. "Okay, so Taylor was feeling nostalgic and she went and got some of the old stuff of Mom and Dad's that we put into storage and she wants to go through them I guess. So what do you say? Up for some sisterly bonding?"

Haley shrugged and bit her lip, going into deep thought for a few seconds. "I suppose," she sighed dramatically, "I guess I have room in my busy schedule for you two." Brooke breathed a sigh of relief and pulled Haley off the bed.

"Oh, well thank you so much for penciling us in Ms. James, we'll forever cherish the moment." Haley laughed and linked arms with Brooke as they walked down the hall and back into their parent's room. "Oh my god, Taylor I hope you remember this night for the rest of your life, because our little sister, Haley James has made room for us in our schedule."

Taylor laughed and put her hand to her heart. "Aw, Hales, thanks. I feel so special. Now as fun as that was, sit your ass down and help me look through this box." Taylor turned the box upside down and watched the things fall out.

"Now, if we find that really stupid picture of me in the bathtub, can we just not say anything about it? I was 2, okay 2." Brooke exclaimed sitting down on the floor and leaning against the bed. Taylor rolled her eyes and started searching through the pile of pictures for that one picture. Brooke looked at Haley, who was standing off to the side with her arms crossed.

"Haley, what are you waiting for a bus? Sit down!"

"Oh," Haley mumbled, snapping out of her daze. She looked around the room and noticed there was practically no place to sit with the pictures spread out across the floor. "Where would you like me to sit? Your lap?"

Brooke shrugged and patted her knee, "Well if you insist," Haley shrugged and walked over to Brooke and sat down on her lap, sitting on her hand. "Okay, I said my lap, not my hand." Haley got up a bit for Brooke to lift her hand up and she sat back down.

Taylor was too busy rummaging through the pictures to notice her two sisters but when she looked up she gave them a weird look. "Are we 5 girls?"

"Shut up," Brooke and Haley said in unison making Taylor roll her eyes. "Well where else do you want me to sit?" Haley asked in a cold tone.

"Relax, Hay," Taylor said putting her hand up in defense, "I was kidding. No need to get upset. Look, can we just do this without arguing? We're supposed to be bonding, not fighting."

"Okay," Brooke interjected before Haley could come back with something to say. "So about we talk about something else? Did you find anything, Tay?"

Taylor nodded and smiled widely. "The one of you in the bath," Brooke's eyes widened and tried to stand up but Haley didn't move. "Aw, weren't you the cutest thing ever? Hales, don't get up, I want to embarrass her as much as possible." Brooke grunted and Haley shifted all her weight onto Brooke's lap.

"Stop," Brooke whined leaning her head back onto the bed, "make fun of Brooke day is over! Move on right now." She found the nearest picture and picked it up, making a face when it was just a boring one of Taylor and Haley. "Oh, it's just you two." Brooke frowned giving the picture to Haley.

"Oh this is the one where Taylor was babysitting me and then I fell and broke my arm," Taylor laughed at the memory, still remembering that day like it was yesterday.

"_How do you know when the water is boiling?" 7 year old Haley asked, standing on her stool over the stove. She stuck her face over and gazed into the bubbling water._

"_Stick your fingers in it," Taylor replied lamely going back to her phone conversation._

"_Don't stick your fingers in it!" Lydia said, coming into the room, clipping her earrings on. "Taylor, I thought I told you to watch her."_

"_I'm on the phone mom. I don't have time to watch the little baby." Taylor rolled her eyes and went back to her conversation. "Sorry my mom's being annoying."_

_Lydia laughed and walked over to Haley and lifted her down off the stool. "Haley-Bub what have I told you about standing over the stove with Mr. Waffles?" Haley gulped and his Mr. Waffles behind her back. _

"_I don't know?" Haley replied with a sweet smile, Lydia laughed and poured the macaroni in, making Haley jump in excitement. "Is it ready yet?"_

"_No, but just a few more minutes, how about you go sit at the table with Taylor and it should be ready soon." _

"_Mom, can you please be quiet? Like I said before, I'm on the phone," Taylor mumbled something and hung up, rolling her eyes when she saw Haley staring at her. "What do you want?"_

"_Nothing," Haley stuck her tongue out and climbed into the chair and put Mr. Waffles onto the table. Taylor made a face at the teddy bear and sighed heavily._

"_Mom, if you care about my social life you will take the baby with you and let me go out. What kind of 13 year old stays home on a FRIDAY night babysitting their little sister?"_

"_Apparently you do. Look, Taylor we've been through this a million times, you can't go out until you pull up your English grade. And please stop whining, that's Haley's job." _

"_Hey!" Haley cried looking at her mother with a sad look. Lydia laughed and put the bowl of macaroni in front of her which made the sad look disappear. _

"_I'm all ready!" Brooke exclaimed, lugging her care bear suitcase into the kitchen with Jimmy in tow._

"_Brooke you're staying at Peyton's for one night! What could you possibly have in there?" Jimmy motioned for her to stop but it was too late._

_Brooke sighed dramatically and put her hands on her hips. "Mom! What kind of question is that? I know its only one night, but I don't know what the weather is going to be like tomorrow! It could be hot, so I packed some shorts and a tank top, it could be cold so I packed a sweatshirt and a few pairs of jeans, I packed-"_

"_Okay we get it!" Taylor yelled getting up from the table. "If anyone needs me, I'll be up in my room wasting my life away."_

"_Sounds good," Jimmy called out behind her with a laugh. Taylor stomped up the stairs, making him laugh even more. Lydia put a bowl on the table for Brooke and looked at her husband with a laugh. "Trouble in paradise for our oldest daughter?"_

"_She's mad cause she has to babysit me," Haley said with a mouthful of food. Brooke made a face and put her fork down, suddenly losing her appetite._

"_Haley," she said in a motherly tone, "how many times have I told you it's not polite to chew with your mouth open? Just try to remember to swallow first." Both Lydia and Jimmy burst out laughing at their daughter._

"_Sorry Brooke, I forgot," Haley said in a whisper. Brooke giggled and reached over and patted her sister on the head._

"_Hales, I'm sorry about leaving you all alone tonight with Taylor. But Peyton invited me over like two weeks ago and I just can't cancel. I've been pretty busy these days now that I'm 8 it seems like everyone likes you better when you're 8."_

"_Well I appreciate you making time for us little people to eat your dinner," Lydia commented watching Brooke take a mouthful of macaroni and cheese._

"_You're welcome," she mumbled with her mouth full of food. Haley's eyes widened and she gasped at the sight of her sister.  
"Brooke!" Haley mocked her sister's tone, "How many times have I told you not to eat with your mouthful? It's not polite." Brooke rolled her eyes and stuck her tongue out at Haley. She quickly finished the bowl and got up from the table._

"_Come on, I don't want to be late for Peyton's. The best friend has to be there before the other friends!" Brooke exclaimed picking up her suitcase and grabbing her dad's hand and pulled him towards the back door. Haley watched sadly as Brooke rushed over to the door in excitement._

"_Brookie, hold on a second," Jimmy said stopping at the door and releasing his hand from Brooke's. "Let your mother and I say good night to Haley-bub and Taylor." Brooke nodded and followed her father over to Haley. _

"_Night, Hales," she smiled, giving Haley a hug. "I'll see you tomorrow, 'kay?"_

_Haley nodded and held onto Mr. Waffles as she followed the three of them into the living room._

"_Taylor!" Lydia called up the stairs, waiting for her oldest daughter to come down the stairs, "we're leaving now."_

_A few minutes later, a bored looking Taylor came down the stairs with the phone in her hands. "Whatever mother. I hope you have fun knowing that your daughter is wasting away."_

"_Oh, shutup Taylor," Brooke rolled her eyes, "you're gonna be with Haley, what's more fun than that."_

"_Okay, Taylor just keep an eye on her, alright? We should be home by 11." Lydia said before saying their last good byes before heading out. Taylor and Haley stared at each other, Taylor occasionally rolling her eyes. _

"_Look, kid, you just go play and stay away from me, okay?" Taylor said, picking up the phone and dialing her friend's number. Haley shrugged and watched her walk away before heading up the stairs into her room._

"_What do you want to do, Mr. Waffles?" Haley asked, scanning the room for something to do. She spotted her blue ball in the corner of the room and ran over and picked it up. "Come on, we can go annoy Taylor."_

"_So, anyways, what happened with Kyle?" Taylor asked, digging into her bowl of ice cream, "did he ask you out or what." Haley came into the room, bouncing the ball all around the kitchen. "What"? I can't hear you, Sarah. Hold on, my little sister is here." She put the phone down and kneeled in front of Haley, "Haley, can you stop bouncing that in here, please? I'm on the phone."_

_Haley smiled and Taylor smiled, thinking Haley was going to listen to her. "No," she replied, bouncing the ball again. Taylor groaned and lifted Haley under her arm._

"_Fine, you want to bounce that ball, you bounce it out here on the porch. And stay away from the stairs," Taylor commanded, shutting the screen door behind her. Haley shrugged and continued to bounce the ball as Taylor went back to her phone call. "Sorry, she can be such a pain sometimes. At least now I can sort of hear you."_

"_What is she doing?"_

"_She's bouncing some stupid ball outside. That noise is driving me nuts." _

_Bounce. Bounce. Bounce. There was silence for a minute and Taylor felt herself relax. "So, Kyle, what happened?" Bounce. Bounce. Bounce. "Just speak up a little, it's not that hard!" _

_As Taylor listened contently, she heard a loud bang outside. She didn't think anything of it until she realized she didn't hear the bouncing. "Sarah? Yeah, can I call you back, I just want to go check on Haley." Her friend sighed on the other end and Taylor placed the phone down on the table. She got up to the door and peered out onto the porch and her heart skipped a beat when Haley wasn't in sight. "Haley?" She called out because stepping out onto the porch. "Haley, this isn't funny! Come back here right now." She heard a distance sob and walked over to the stairs and nearly did a double take at the sight below her. "Haley?" She cried, rushing down the stairs and kneeling down next to her sister. "Haley, what happened?"_

_Haley cried harder as she held onto her left arm tight, "I, I was bouncing the ball and, and I wasn't paying attention, and, and I fell down the stairs. And my arm hurts, Tay," Taylor scooped her up in her arms and sat her down on her lap. _

"_Is it your left arm?" Taylor asked, running her hands through Haley's hair. Haley sniffled and held it tighter. "Can you move it?"_

"_No, it hurts too much," Haley whispered, "I want mommy." _

_Taylor gulped, realizing she had no idea where her parents were. "Honey, I don't know where they are. So, so, you're just going to have to be brave for, Tay, okay? I'm gonna call 911 and we'll get you a doctor, okay?" Taylor tried to hide the panic in her voice so it didn't make Haley more scared than she already was. "We're just going to go up the stairs, okay? Can you stand up or do you want me to carry you?"_

"_Carry me," Haley whispered through her tears. Taylor smiled and carefully stood up with Haley in her arms. They got into the kitchen and she sat her on the kitchen counter as she reached for the phone._

"_911 please state your emergency."_

"_Yes, hi," Taylor said nervously, running her hands through her hair, "my sister fell down the stairs and I think she might have hurt her arm and I don't know where my parent's are and I'm only 13 and her arm might be broken and I, just, I didn't know what else to do."_

"_It's okay, its okay," the woman on the other end said soothingly, "just relax. We'll send an ambulance over there right away. What's your address?"_

"_112 Chestnut Street," Taylor repeated slowly, nodding as the woman repeated it back. She hung up the phone and walked back over to Haley, who looked so small. "It's okay Haley-bub, help is on the way."_

"_It really hurts, Taylor," Haley sobbed harder, wishing the pain will go away. Taylor hugged her carefully and listened as the ambulance pull up._

"_Okay, Hay, they're here, now, be brave for Tay, okay?" Haley nodded wiping her wet eyes with her good arm. Taylor lifted her off the counter and brought her to the front door, letting the paramedics in. Haley reluctantly let the paramedic take her into his arms and bring her to the ambulance. Taylor followed, trying her best not to cry at the sight of her little sister._

_Taylor paced around the waiting room for the hundredth time tonight. She had been waiting at least an hour and she heard nothing._

"_You must be Taylor?" A young looking doctor came towards her. "Haley James' sister?"_

_Taylor nodded frantically. "Yes, yes. Is she okay? Please tell me she's okay." She waited impatiently as the doctor went over his charts before nodding._

"_Calm down, your sister is going to be just fine. Although she had a nasty break to her arm. Now, we couldn't get a hold of your parents so we called your next of kin, a Karen Roe? She said she would be here as soon as possible. But until then you can go see your sister, she's in room 215."_

"_Thank you so much doctor," Taylor said before taking off down the hall. She scanned the numbers on the wall until she spotted 215. She peered in before going in and saw Haley curled up on the hospital bed, a light blue cast covering her arm. "Hi, Haley-bub," she whispered walking into the room. Haley sat up and did her best to smile, her eyes still red and puffy from crying._

"_Hi, Tay," she frowned and looked at the cast she was now sporting on her arm._

"_I like your cast," Taylor commented with a smile, causing Haley to frown even more. "What's wrong?"_

"_I wanted pink, but all they had was light blue and black."_

"_Aw," Taylor laughed, ruffling her sister's hair, "I like it, it matches your shirt," she pointed out, referring to the light blue shirt Haley was wearing. Haley shrugged and let out one last sniffle. "Honey, I am so sorry. This is all my fault, I should have never ever let you play outside by yourself." Her eyes began to fill with tears and Haley couldn't help but smile._

"_Tay, it's not your fault," she reassured her sister by hugging her around the middle with her one arm, "it's my fault, okay? But look on the brightside, you can be the first one to sign my cast!" Taylor laughed and wiped her eyes._

"_Sure, what do you want me to write on it?" She asked, grabbing the pen from the bedside table._

"_To Haley, you are the best little sister in the world and I love you more than anything," Haley said confidently. Taylor laughed again and wrote as she was told before leaning down and kissing her on the forehead._

"_Karen should be here soon, maybe she'll want to sign the cast too." Haley nodded and moved closer to Taylor, resting her head on her sisters chest. _

"_And Brooke too?"_

"_And Brooke too."_

"I felt horrible for like a year after that happened," Taylor remembered, laughing at the childhood memory. After that happened she vowed to never leave Haley alone and she kept her promise for a few months until she realized she missed hanging out with her friends.

"Yeah and I milked it for what it was worth. My favorite was waiting on me hand and foot." Both Haley and Brooke shared a laugh which caused Taylor to groan.

"That was only because I was grounded until I was like 35. Mom and Dad wanted to kill me and Mom almost did. I think she tried to smother me in my sleep or something." Taylor shuddered at that thought. She woke up after she felt a weight on her bed and next thing she knew someone was shoving a pillow in her face.

"No that was me," Brooke said, trying to contain her laughter. "I was so mad that Haley couldn't really play so I wanted to kill you for it." Taylor rolled her eyes before breaking into a smile. It figured Brooke would so something like that.

"You almost killed Theresa once too for making fun of my cast." Haley brought up, remembering the day when she went back to school sporting a hot pink cast.

_Haley sat on the concrete steps with a sour look on her face while she watched the other kids in her class run around on the playground. She looked down at her hot pink cast and gently slapped it with her free hand. "Ow," she moaned, remembering the plaster was hard as a rock._

"_What the heck happened to you?" Theresa asked, looking wide-eyed while staring down at Haley's arm._

"_I fell down the stairs," Haley replied, shuddering at the accident over the weekend. "It really hurt."_

"_Well obviously." Theresa sneered, making Haley frown. "That's a really ugly cast. Why the heck would someone get a hot pink one? Only Barbie would just to match her pink corvette and I don't think you own or drive a pink corvette."_

"_It's the only one they had besides black or blue," Haley replied, looking down at her feet just wishing Theresa would go away. "My sister likes it."_

"_Yeah well it's ugly," she snapped back while laughing, obviously enjoying teasing the girl in front of her. _

"_Leave me alone," Haley whispered, turning away so her back was towards Theresa. "I never did anything to you." Before Theresa could reply, Brooke skipped over and stood next to Theresa._

"_Hi, Theresa," Brooke said in her normal perky tone. Theresa smiled widely and suddenly shifted into a different mood._

"_Hey, Brooke! I was just telling Haley that she has a cool cast." Haley's eyes widened at the lie the girl in front of her told her sister. "It's way cool, I wish I broke my arm. Can I sign it, Haley?"_

_Brooke looked at Haley and Haley looked up at Brooke and shook her head. "No, there's no room for you." Brooke said, her voice lowered and became more defensive. "Leave Haley alone, she never did anything to you." Theresa scowled before she stormed away in a huff, making Brooke laugh a little. "You okay, Hales?"_

"_She said it was ugly," Haley whispered, watching Brooke sit down next to her. Brooke shrugged and put her arm around her sister._

"_Well she's ugly," she giggled, feeling relived when Haley laughed beside her. "Want me to go slap her?"_

_Haley shook her head and smiled at how protective Brooke could be. "Not yet, Tigger. Maybe tomorrow if she says something else."_

"_Okay," Brooke said with a small nod, "how come you're sitting by yourself?" _

"_Lucas isn't here today and Ms. Wells told me I couldn't play incase I hurt my arm again. It's really boring, Brooke." Haley said with a frown. All she wanted to do was play on the playground like the other kids instead of sitting on the steps all recess._

"_Well I'll stay here with you that way you don't get lonely and if Theresa comes back I'll make sure she doesn't say anything to you because she's really scared of me. I'm way taller than her." _

"_You're way taller than me and I'm not scared of you," Haley said, looking up at Brooke. Brooke shrugged and snapped her finger, signaling she had more reasons as to why Theresa was afraid of her._

"_Well you're my little sister, you're supposed to be littler than me. Besides, Theresa's scared of me because she knows I could kick her butt. I really could, after watching all those wrestling matches with Mike I believe I could put her in a headlock and make her cry just like the way she made you cry at her birthday party last year."_

"_Brooke, I think I would probably be lost without you. I mean I wouldn't be able to find my way home from school cause you know the way better than I do. Would you be lost without me?"_

_Brooke nodded and carefully pulled Haley closer. "I'd be running around like a chicken with its head cut off without you."_

"_Well, we'll always be together so we don't even have to think about those crazy thoughts," Haley pointed out, standing up with Brooke as the bell rang signaling the end of recess. Brooke smiled and grabbed Haley's good arm and pulled her alongside to catch up with Peyton._

"You two are something else," Taylor said with a laugh. Haley repositioned herself so she could see Brooke's face and shrugged.

"Hey," Brooke protested, "no one messes with my baby and gets away with it," she said, wrapping her arms around Haley's chest and resting her head on Haley's shoulder.

"Who is this Theresa chick anyways? Not that crazy obsessed cheerleader girl that almost died when I told her cheerleading wasn't a sport?" Taylor asked, groaning when Brooke and Haley shook their heads in amusement. "Oh my god! She was so weird! I didn't think it would make her cry when I said that."

"Tay, Theresa is more obsessed with cheerleading than Brooke is," Haley laughed and Brooke nodded her head in agreement. "It's true. Now that she's co-captain she makes them practice in the off season."

Taylor wrinkled her nose and rolled her eyes at how stupid this girl sounded. "Why? You know what I would do if she made me practice in the off season?" Brooke and Haley shook their heads while waiting for Taylor to continue. "I'd tell her to shove a pom pom up her ass." The younger girls burst out laughing knowing Taylor would say something like that. "I would! Jesus, a sport is bad enough in the regular season, but to only prolong it's misery is just terrible."

"So that's why you just had sex in high school?" Brooke asked with a smug look. Haley bit her lip to stop from laughing.

"Exactly," Taylor replied quickly but soon shook her head, realizing what Brooke had said, "no you smartass. I joined the track team!"

"Only because you thought the coach was hot." Haley pointed out with a giggle. "I remember you told me that one night when you skipped practice. You weren't going because he wasn't going to be there."

"Well hey at least I joined a sport and attempted to have school spirit, honey." Taylor said, throwing a knowing glance at Haley.

"Okay, you know I have terrible coordination! I almost drowned-"

"In the balls of Chuck E. Cheese," Brooke and Taylor finished the sentence. They let out a small groan each time Haley told the story. Haley rolled her eyes and punched Brooke in the knee.

"Oh come on, Hales, that had to be the funniest thing I've ever seen in my life," Taylor immediately started to crack up along with Brooke.

"It was not! I was 5 years old and that scared the absolute crap out of me. And besides, you pushed me in!" Haley said, her eyes widening at the horrible story.

"You were holding up the line," Brooke said as her and Taylor laughed some more. Haley frowned and shuddered at the pure thought.

"_Haley!" Taylor groaned watching her sister freeze, looking over the edge into the pit of balls, "will you just go in! You're holding up the line." Various people behind them started to yell and scream for the James girls to get in. _

"_No," Haley whimpered, grabbing onto Taylor's hand, "it looks scary." _

"_It's not scary, it's fun!" Brooke said happily, while jumping into the pit of balls, rolling around in them to show Haley it wasn't scary at all._

"_See? Brooke jumped right in, now you do the same." Taylor demanded but winced as Haley gripped her hand tighter and tighter._

"_I don't wanna." _

_Taylor let out a frustrated sigh, listening to the people in back of them complain. "Haley these people are getting mad and they're gonna throw you in." Haley's eyes widened and within seconds her arms were wrapped around Taylor's waist, holding on for dear life._

"_I'm too scared to go in."_

"_Come on, Hales! I'll hold you hand," Brooke offered, standing knee deep in the pit of balls. She held out her hand for Haley to take. Haley reluctantly peered over the edge again. If Brooke said it was okay, then there was nothing to be afraid of. But before Haley could reach out for her hand, Taylor gave up and pushed her in alongside of Brooke. She looked apologetic to the people behind her and jumped in herself, swimming around in the multicolored balls._

_Brooke looked wide-eyed as she watched her little sister flail around in the balls, screaming for dear life. She swam over to her and pulled her up and into a hug. "Tay, you scared her! It's okay, Haley, you're okay," Brooke whispered as Haley clung to her shirt, letting out a small sniffle. _

"You could have scarred me for life!" Haley yelled, pointing a finger at Taylor. Taylor put her hands up in defense and tried to stop laughing.

"Baby, come on, you have to admit it was sort of funny." Brooke said, trying to get Haley to see the amusement in the situation.

"It wasn't, I've never been so scared in my life," Haley whispered, folding her arms, trying to rid herself of the memory.

"Okay, we'll stop now," Brooke said while trying to keep a straight face. She motioned for Taylor to stop laughing but it was no use. Pretty soon she started laughing herself and Haley groaned loudly.

"Stop!" She whined, hitting Brooke on the leg again, "pick on little sister day is over, okay?" Taylor let out one last laugh before nodding her head, realizing it was time to stop.

"Okay, okay," Taylor said with a nod, trying to change the subject. "Remember when Brooke got her head stuck in the banister?" Haley started to laugh, this time getting a punch in the knee from Brooke.

"Shut up!"

Taylor let out one last laugh before fallen silent when she took out a piece of paper from the box. "Guys," she whispered, trying to stop the laughter was coming out of her sisters mouth.

"What's that?" Brooke asked noticing Taylor had a frown on her face. "Are you okay?" Taylor looked up and held the piece of paper for them to see.

"It's their obituary notice," Taylor whispered, listening to the deafening silence that filled the room afterwards. It reminded her of the night where she found out her parents lost their lives.

"_Brooke, I can't sleep," Haley's voice cracked, making the person beside her sigh. Brooke rolled over to face Haley and did her best to put on a comforting face._

"_I know, it's hard," her eyes welled up with tears just looking at Haley's lost face, "but you just have to try, okay?" Haley shook her head and started to cry again. Brooke bit her lip in an effort to stop herself from crying. She had just managed to stop and she didn't want to start up again. "Haley, stop, come on."_

"_I can't," Haley cried, burying her head into her pillow. Brooke covered her ears to try and drown out the muffled sobs but it just wasn't working. "I want them back."_

"_I know you do and so do I, but we can't have them back," Brooke's voice cracked at the thought of never seeing her parents again and she began to cry along with her sister. "Let's go see if Taylor is still awake," she sniffled, sitting up in bed, waiting for Haley to do the same. _

"_Okay," she whispered, clambering out of the bed with her sister. Brooke took her by the hand and led her straight down the hall into Taylor's room. The door was shut but they could see the light peering through the crack at the bottom. "I think she still might be awake," she said, rubbing her tears away with a free hand. _

_They knocked on the door and looked sad when Taylor didn't answer it. Haley shrugged and turned the door knob, pushing the door open and walking into the room. Taylor was staring blankly at the wall with her headphones on, blasting some loud obnoxious techno song._

"_Tay?" Haley whispered, letting go of Brooke's hand and climbing onto her older sister's bed. Taylor remained in her own little world, oblivious to the two guests in her room. Haley gently shook her, hoping to bring her back to reality. _

"_What?" Taylor yelled, taking the headphones off and looking at Haley with red, puffy eyes. Her voice was nasal and her expressions mirrored her sisters. _

"_We can't sleep," Haley said with fresh tears forming in her eyes. Taylor was never really close with her parents but no matter what, she still loved them and it was affecting her just as much as it was affecting Brooke and Haley. _

"_Yeah," Brooke quietly added, climbing onto the bed along side Haley, "can we stay with you?" Taylor wiped her eyes and got off the bed to stare out the window._

"_What makes you think you're going to be able to sleep in here?" Taylor said, her voice was low and bitter. Brooke turned away shyly and Haley wiped the tears streaming down her cheeks. "I'm sorry," she sighed, realizing her outburst. "Of course you guys can stay in here, come here," she whispered, trying to choke back her sob. Taylor got onto the bed and pulled each sobbing sister into her arms, trying to calm them down. She knew it was probably useless, but it didn't hurt to try. _

_The three sat huddled together, listening to the sobs filling the room. Life wasn't fair they all thought. Their parents were gone and the reality had sunk in that they would never be seeing them again. They didn't even get to say goodbye. The ringing of the doorbell interrupted them and the loud knocking made them come back to reality._

"_Come on, let's go see who it is," Taylor wiped her eyes and took both of her sister's hand and carefully made their way down the stairs. They could hear a distant sob coming from the other side of the door and tried to brace themselves for anything. _

"_Are you guys okay?" Was the first thing that came out of Karen's mouth when Taylor opened the door. She threw her arms around the three girls and hugged them tightly with no intention of letting them go. Haley immediately let go of Taylor's hand and wrapped her arms around Karen's middle. She loved Karen just as much as her mother._

"_Karen," she whimpered, feeling Karen's arm wrap around her shoulders. "Why did this happen to us?"_

"_I don't know, honey, I don't know," Karen whispered in a shaky voice. Taylor and Brooke both pulled out of the embrace, leaving Haley still wrapped around Karen's waist. They made no effort to pull her back and watched as Karen led Haley over to the couch and sat her down next to her. "Is there anything I can do? If you need anything-"_

"_We're fine," Taylor said, managing to muster a tiny smile. Brooke sniffled and gave her a small nod, sitting down on the other side of Karen and resting her head on Karen' shoulder. "Thanks, though."_

_Karen nodded and looked Taylor straight in her eye. She knew she was trying to be strong for Haley and Brooke but she also knew she was going to crack any minute. "Taylor," Karen said, getting up off the couch and walking over to Taylor, "do you want me to take them? Mike should be home soon, he was talking to the cops about the accident."_

"_No," Taylor shook her head firmly and glanced back at her sisters who were huddled together on the couch. "No, they're fine here. I need them." Karen smiled sadly and pulled Taylor into a hug, rubbing her back in comfort. "We need some sleep, do you think you could help me convince them, Haley especially, to sleep?"_

"_Sure," Karen said, walking back over to the couch and kneeling in front of the younger girls. "I think you two need some sleep, it's been a long day. We'll talk in the morning." She held out both her hands and smiled when both girls took them in her own. Taylor mouthed a thank you and followed them up the stairs. _

"_Can, can we sleep in their room?" Haley asked, looking up at Karen with teary eyes. "I'd feel more comfortable in there."_

"_Sure," Taylor whispered, taking Haley from Karen and leading her into the room. Brooke stared up at Karen before hugging her tightly._

"_I need to be strong for Haley, right?"_

_Karen bent down to get eye level with Brooke and shook her head. "No, honey you don't. Don't be afraid to cry." Brooke shook her head and bit her lip, trying to stop the tears._

"_No, I can't cry. I have to be strong for her, Karen. I have to. I don't want her to think everything is falling apart. Everything is going to be okay, right?"_

_Karen Roe stood there speechless. It wasn't her place to say it was and she didn't want to upset the girls even more than they already were. "Brooke, in the end everything will be. But sweetie, you need to get some sleep." Brooke reluctantly followed Karen into her parent's room. Her heart skipped a beat just at the sight of their room. Taylor had taken the comforter off the bed and laid it out on the floor. She had somehow managed to get Haley to lie down. Brooke hugged Karen one last time and headed over to the edge of the bed, laying right next to Haley._

"_We'll be okay," Taylor whispered, falling into Karen's open arms. "We'll be okay."_

"Wow," Taylor interjected before things got too emotional, "it's nearly 1. We should probably get some sleep."

"Yeah," Brooke mumbled distantly. She kept thinking about that night and how hard it was for the three of them. Both her and Haley had stayed up most of the night crying while Taylor tried her best to comfort them in every way possible. Haley stared at the wall in a daze before launching herself to her feet and running out of the room.

"Oh, man," Taylor said with a sigh, "do you want to go or should I?" Brooke shook her head and leaned her head against the bed.

"Just leave her this time. I think she just needs to be alone." Brooke said with a sigh of her own. But before Taylor could protest, Haley came back into the room with pillows and blankets in her arms. She had the arm of Mr. Waffles in her mouth, trying her best to keep everything from falling.

Haley dropped the blankets in the middle of the floor and took the teddy bear out of her mouth, throwing it next to Brooke.

"Um, what's going on, Hay?" Taylor asked with caution. Haley knelt down and began to spread the blankets out just like Taylor did the night their parent's died.

"It would only be right," she whispered, gesturing for the two of them to get up and help her. Once they got everything situated, Brooke and Taylor quickly changed and headed back into the room, each of them lying next to Haley.

"Whoa," Brooke sat up while throwing her hand up, "why do you get to lie in the middle?" Taylor rolled her eyes knowing Brooke would probably launch into a big speech about it.

"Because," Haley said, sitting up next to Brooke, "I need to spread the Haley loving all around. You get it every night, Tigger. Taylor needs some Haley loving."

"Okay," Taylor said while wrinkling her nose, "as much as I would love some Haley loving, there is something wrong about that sentence." Brooke laughed which prompted Haley to roll her eyes.

"I'm just trying to spread Haley loving around," Haley whispered, glancing down at her lap, trying her best to make Taylor and Brooke feel bad. Brooke made a face at Taylor and put her hand on Haley's shoulder.

"Aw, honey,"

"Oh, Brooke," Taylor laughed, reaching over Haley to slap Brooke on the head, "she's just trying to get us to feel bad."

"I am not!" Haley's eyes widened and she looked at Taylor with her mouth wide open. Brooke pushed Haley a little before letting out a laugh.

"It's a typical baby of the family thing to do," Taylor continued, looking at Brooke and gesturing for her to go along. The two of them loved to gang up on Haley sometimes. When Haley was in the right mood they all got a good laugh out of it.

"Yeah, always looking for the attention. I mean god, Baby, stop being such an attention hog," Brooke gasped, trying to keep herself from laughing at Haley's shocked face.

Taylor rolled her eyes at Brooke's lame nicknames but kept with it. "She's right you know. But you're lucky you're adorable, your future husband is going to have a hard time saying no to you."

"I have that affect on people," Haley smiled proudly making Brooke and Taylor laugh. It felt so good to see Haley going back to her own self these days. With everything she went through, it was hard to tell when they were going to get nights like these. "I must admit though, I learned from the best." She looked at Brooke, who smiled widely.

"Well I learned from Tay."

"And I kids, made it all up." Taylor nodded her head proudly before a pillow connected with her head courtesy of Haley. "Okay, you know what?" Taylor replied, picking up her own pillow and smacking Haley in the head with it. "It's a new day, gang up on little sister day is back on."

"Oh yeah," Brooke squealed hitting Haley on the other side of the head with her pillow. Haley whined and did her best to cover her head while she got attacked on both sides.

"That's not fair," she whined causing Taylor and Brooke to stop and listen to what she was saying, "there's two of you and only one of me. You can't do that."

"Says who?" Brooke asked in amusement, dying to hear Haley's answer.

"Says me," Haley said confidently, staring at Brooke's confused face. She took the opportunity to hit Brooke in the face before collapsing back onto the floor with a giggle. "I got you there."

"Yeah you did," Brooke mumbled, lying back down next to Haley. Seconds later, Taylor did the same. The three of them laid in silence just staring at the ceiling.

"Do you think they're watching?" Brooke asked in a small voice.

"I bet they are," Taylor said with a smile, "and I bet they're happy to see us bonding. And happy to see Brooke's grown out of her slut phase," she said with a giggle. Haley laughed and glanced over at Brooke who was currently sulking.

"Just because pick on little sister day is back on, it doesn't mean pick on Brooke day is back on. Now if you losers don't mind, I need my beauty sleep."

The three of them said their goodnights and tried their best to drift off into a peaceful sleep. Just as Brooke and Taylor were about to drift off, Haley's voice interrupted them.

"Taylor," she whined rolling over to face her sister, "your feet are cold."

"Shut up, Haley," Taylor mumbled, shutting her eyes again. She moved them away from Haley, hoping that would satisfy her. "There, now shut up and go to sleep."

Haley rolled her eyes at Taylor's moodiness and looked up at the ceiling. She listened to the silence and couldn't help but smile. Sure her sisters had pick on little sister day, but right now it was revenge of the little sister.

"Brooke," she whined in the same voice, shaking Brooke slightly, "your head is on my pillow!" Brooke mumbled something incoherently and shifted her position. Seconds later silence filled the room and Haley felt herself trapped in between the two of them with no way out.

"Guys," she whispered, waiting for the annoyed responses, "I have to go the bathroom." Brooke and Taylor groaned, neither of them showing them signs of moving.

"Hold it," Taylor snapped, throwing the pillow over her head to try to drown out the silence of Haley's voice. She could go on forever and ever but she was too tired to finish. There was always tomorrow and the next day. As she rolled over, she couldn't help but smile, thinking about the night 5 years ago.

They were going to be okay after all.


	24. Against all Odds

**I am so sorry! I meant to post this before I went on vacation last week but I never got around to finishing it. But I'm here now and it's nice and long. I hope you're all still enjoying this and haven't lost any interest..**

* * *

Karen took a deep breath while walking up the step to the James' home. She wasn't sure if it was her place or not to interfere, but considering how close she was to the girls, she figured she had some sort of right to know what was going on in their lives. 

"Oh, hey Karen," Brooke greeted with a smile when she opened the door. Karen returned one and followed Brooke into the house. "What brings you here?" Karen knew about Brooke and Lucas and she was partly here to see how she was. The other part was to tell them some potentially heart-breaking news. It all depended on how much they loved their brother.

"I just wanted to see how things were," Karen said, taking a seat at the kitchen table. Brooke offered her some coffee, but she politely refused. "Everything okay with Haley now? Lucas said she wasn't herself for a bit."

Lucas. The name alone made Brooke cringe. "Yeah, everything seems back to normal as of now," she tried to rid herself of the lump forming in her throat and forced a smile, "how's Lucas? I know he was pretty upset when Haley told him she didn't want to see him again."

Karen sighed. It wasn't Lucas she was worried about; it was more about Brooke and Haley right now. "He's taking it pretty well I suppose. I think it's hard for him to understand but once Haley gets better I'm sure they'll be okay again."

"Yeah," Brooke mumbled, thinking about possibly rekindling her own relationship with him. Not now, not until Haley was 100 percent better.

"Brooke, is everything okay with you?" Karen asked in concern, placing her hand over Brooke's hand that was rested on the table. But before Brooke could answer, Haley came into the room, her face brightening up when she saw Karen.

"Hi, Karen," Haley said with a smile. Karen smiled back and got up to embrace the girl. Brooke let out a sigh of relief when she saw Haley sit. She wasn't quite ready to talk about the whole Lucas thing just yet. "Am I interrupting something?" She asked, noticing how tense both Brooke and Karen looked now that she was there.

"No, no, baby we were just talking," Brooke said reassuringly. Karen couldn't help but smile at how maternal Brooke had become. She remembered how Haley would complain about how Brooke would ignore her and school and it broke Karen's heart that she couldn't do anything about it.

"Is Deb at the café?" Haley wondered, thinking it was not like Karen to leave somebody else in charge.

"Yes," Karen said with a nod, "now let's hope it's still standing when I go back." The three of them shared a laugh, which made the current situation seem less uncomfortable. Karen took another deep breath and went back to her and Brooke's earlier topic. "So, Brooke, are sure everything is okay?"

"Yes," Brooke quickly said, making Karen want to push the subject further. "Everything is fine, okay?" She tried to be as nice as possible, but Brooke was never one to talk when she didn't want to.

"It's just that," Karen continued making Brooke wince, "Lucas told me you two broke up a few weeks ago and-"

"Wait, a few weeks okay?" Brooke interjected, "we only broke up last Friday." Karen's eyes widened, suddenly realizing what she had just did. Brooke raised a confused eyebrow while watching Karen's hand quickly go over her mouth. "Karen, what's going on?"

"Nothing," Karen stuttered, trying to avoid the subject. At time she had a big mouth and it was times like these where she wished she could keep it shut. "Forget I said anything, it must have been an understanding."

"What was a misunderstanding?" Brooke asked, her voice suddenly rising in anger. She shook off the concerned look on Haley's face and stared at the older woman sitting the across the table from her.

"Brooke," Karen sighed, realizing she couldn't talk her way out of this one no matter how hard she tried. "A few weeks ago, I walked in on Lucas." Karen stopped, looking at Brooke's face grow in fear. She didn't want to continue knowing it would break the girl's heart. "I walked in on Lucas and, and Theresa in bed together."

"Oh my god," Brooke gasped, her eyes filling up with tears. Karen got up from the table and enveloped Brooke into a hug. Haley did her best not to say anything and sat there with a sad look on her face. She listened as Brooke tried her best to choke back her sob. Haley abruptly got up from the table, causing Brooke to break out of the embrace with Karen. "Hales?"

Haley shook her head and waved her off like it was no big deal. "I'm fine, I'm just gonna go do something, okay?" Brooke nodded with teary eyes, wiping the tears falling down her cheek. Haley took a deep breath and walked out the back door, trying to gather her thoughts. Lucas, her best friend had cheated on her sister. Haley knew she had to confront Lucas about the situation, but she had trouble standing up for herself, let alone someone else. Brooke would do the same for her and right now Brooke's feelings were her main concern, not Lucas'.

The walk to Lucas' house was pretty short considering Haley tried to make it longer to think more about the situation. She had avoided the shortcuts and took the longer road but eventually ended up in front of his house. She took a deep breath and walked onto the porch, stopping at the door that led to Lucas' room. Brooke always loved that door, she could sneak in and out without Karen knowing.

Shaking her head to rid the thoughts, Haley gripped the door handle tightly and turned it, not bothering to knock. And as if they were trying hard to get caught, Lucas and Theresa laid in bed together, laughing at something. Haley tried to suppress the gasp that came out of her mouth but it was too late when Lucas spotted her and looked at her with widened eyes.

"Holy shit," He cursed, shooting up in bed, trying to cover Theresa up with the covers. Theresa whined and sat up next to him. "Haley," he started slowly, putting his hand out in front of him. He quickly grabbed his pants from the floor and slipped them on, getting off the bed and advancing towards Haley.

"It's true," she whispered, staring him deep in the eye. He shook his head and looked back at Theresa before giving Haley pleading look.

"Haley, please. This isn't what it looks like," he said, desperately trying to wipe the shocked look off of her face. Theresa sniggered and flopped back down on the bed, thinking this would be some from of entertainment. Haley just stood there, trying to take it all in. Theresa rolled her eyes and motioned for Haley to say something.

"Well come on Tutor Girl," Theresa taunted making Haley snap of out her daze.

"You," Haley started, suddenly finding her voice, "shut up," she stuttered, trying to block out Theresa's amused laugh. Theresa rolled out of the bed with the sheet wrapped around her.

"Aw," she cooed, patting Haley on the head, "did you learn that from big sis? You better watch what you say to me, she's not around to defend you," she bitched, looking down at Haley. Haley stood her ground and went to push her but Lucas stepped in front of her.

"Theresa," he snapped, pushing her in back of him. "Get out, just get out," he yelled, pointing to the door Theresa shook her head and sat back down on the bed. Lucas let out a groan when he saw her sit back down. "Hales, can we go outside and talk?"

"Why did you do it?" Haley asked, changing the subject. Lucas ran a hand through his shaved head and let out a frustrated groan. "Answer me," she snapped when Lucas looked away.

Lucas looked back at Theresa and realized how big of an idiot he was. He had it all with Brooke and that one night where she cancelled their date he had to go and sleep with Theresa.

"Please just come outside with me?" He pleaded, biting his lip when Haley shook her head. "Haley," he snapped, wrapping his arm around her waist and lifted her off the ground despite the yelling and kicking he received from her.

"Put me down!" Haley yelled, trying her best to squirm out of the blonde's grip. She was panicking now and she kicked her legs harder and punched him in the arm.

"Calm down," Lucas told her, gently putting her down when they got outside. He shut the door behind him and sighed. "I'm sorry."

Haley took a minute to catch her breath and took a step back from him. "Don't do that again," she whispered, turning away to avoid his look. She knew he was hurting but she couldn't help the way she felt after the near rape.

The silence lingered in the air, the tension between the former friends becoming thick. Theresa opened the door and came out onto the porch, fully dressed. Haley glared at her and tried to ignore the sarcastic laughter coming out of her mouth. "Luke, I'm sorry but this little thing between us is over. It was fun while you were with Brooke, but know that you're a single man it's not the thrill it used to be." Haley inhaled and exhaled, trying to stand her ground and stand up to this bitch. She kept thinking of Brooke crying at the kitchen table and quickly found the strength.

"Theresa, wait," she called out, watching Theresa walk down the stairs. Theresa rolled her eyes and stopped, turning around on her heel.

"What Tutor Girl? Some time today please?"

Haley joined her on the last step on the porch and raised her hand up and slapped the cheerleader across the bitch. "If you ever hurt my sister again, I'll kill you," she seethed, surprising herself with her new found courage. Theresa held a cool hand to her burning cheek and looked at Lucas before looking back at Haley.

"You just made a big mistake," Theresa bitched, raising her hand up to return the slap. But before she could, Lucas intervened and pulled her hand back, making Theresa angrier than she already was.

"Go home," he yelled, pointing to her car. She exhaled angrily and walked away in a huff, slamming the car door shut once she got in before speeding down the street. "Hales-" He started, but was soon cut off by the punch delivered to his face.

"And you," Haley yelled, glaring right at him. "Who the hell do you think you are? What was Brooke not good enough for you?"

Lucas quickly shook the punch off and shook his head. "It wasn't that."

"Then what was it?" Haley screamed, throwing her hands up in the air. "What was so bad with Brooke that you had to go and cheat on her?"

Lucas was silent for a minute and turned away in anger. He threw his hands up in the air and bent down to get eye level with Haley. "I was jealous," he whispered, barely audible.

"What?"

"I was jealous!" Lucas exploded, turning away from Haley. Haley stood there speechless, staring at the back of Lucas' head. She swallowed past the lump forming in her throat and suddenly found her voice.

"Jealous?" She managed to spit out in complete surprise.

"Yes jealous," Lucas snapped, turning around to face her. "I was jealous that she was spending all her time with you just because of what happened with Nathan."

"I-"

"Had no idea?" Lucas shrugged, finishing her sentence. She nodded hesitantly and sat down on the steps. "Well there are a lot of things you don't know, Haley."

"Like what, Lucas?" Haley asked timidly, biting her lip while trying to ignore the pissed off look on the guys face.

Lucas laughed bitterly and threw his hands up in the air. "Where would you like me to start? Well for one she used to complain to me about being related to you. 'Oh Luke why am I related to a geek like her?' She would say time and time again. But you know what, Haley? I defended you every single solitary time she complained about you. I would always tell her you were such a great person and if she looked past the imperfections she would see you like I did. She never did because she was too afraid of what other people thought. And I hated her for it. I hated her for the way she talked down to you and god damn it, I hated it when she ridiculed you in public."

"Then why, why were you all of a sudden jealous?" Haley asked in a small voice. Lucas sighed and shrugged, throwing his hands up ion the air again.

"I don't really know the answer. I was happy to see you two becoming friends but then when Brooke wanted to spend every waking hour with you, she forgot about me. And she cancelled our dates frequently. So that's when I started-"

"Hooking up with Theresa?" Haley finished bitterly, rising to her feet and looking down at Lucas. "You cheated on her because of me, right? It was all because of me, huh?" Her brown eyes began to water when Lucas nodded his head, staring down at his feet.

"Because of you Haley," he whispered, fixing his gaze up at her. "I cheated on her. Because of you she broke my heart and because of you Nathan is in jail."

Haley tried to stifle her sob before delivering a punch to his face. "Just stay away from us, okay?" She ran down the steps with Lucas right behind her.

"You have to stop doing this, Haley," he yelled down the street after her. "She can't protect you for the rest of your life."

Haley ignored his words and took off down the street, ignoring the looks from the few people standing on the sidewalk.

**xxxx**

"I always told myself I would never cry over a boy," Brooke laughed while dabbing her eyes with the tissue Karen had given her.

"This might be an exception," Karen smiled warmly at the girl sitting opposite of her. "Brooke, I'm really sorry. Sometimes my big mouth gets me into trouble."

Brooke shook her head and waved Karen off, letting her know it wasn't a big deal. "God no, Karen. There's no need for you to be sorry. You just helped me in a big way though." Karen looked up at her with a confused look on her face. "I was thinking of getting back together with Lucas but it looks like that plan was shot to hell."

"Just give it some time, honey, I'm sure everything will work out." Karen said, running her hands through the loose strands hanging out from Brooke's ponytail. "You look so much like your mother."

Brooke smiled and wiped her eyes. "Really? People always told me I looked more like my dad and Haley looked like my mom."

" Well regardless, you're beautiful."

"Thanks, Karen," Brooke whispered, leaning into Karen and allowing her to wrap her arms around her, comforting her as the tears fell from her face. Karen knew the tears weren't about Lucas now. Brooke sniffled and tucked the loose strands behind her hair and rested her head on Karen's arm. "I miss them so much."

"I know you do, sweetie, I know you do." Karen whispered soothingly, "and with everything you've done for Haley, I'm sure they're very proud of you. I know I am."

"With everything that Haley has been through she deserves it all. She needs someone to be there for her and I wish I could make up for the all the times I pushed her away. But since I can't, I have to make up for the time we lost together. I won't let anything happen to her, Karen."

Karen smiled and gave Brooke a small squeeze before releasing her grip on her. "Haley's very lucky to have you Brooke." Brooke smiled slightly and wiped away the few remaining tears on her face.

"Nah, I'm lucky to have her."

**xxxx**

Haley walked around the park with her head hung down in shame. Was she really the reason Brooke and Lucas broke up? Her thoughts were interrupted when she bumped into someone.

"I'm sorry," she mumbled, looking up at the figure she had just walked into. Her eyes widened when she saw Christian standing there with a fat lip and black eye.

"You should be," he snapped, looking down at her. He could tell she was studying his newfound appearance and he didn't like it.

"What happened to you?" Haley asked quietly, turning away from him when she noticed he was glaring at her.

"What happened to me? What happened to me?" Christian laughed loudly, startling Haley. "Your psycho bitch of a sister kicked the living shit out of me." Haley bit her lip to try and stop the grin that was breaking out on her face. "So you think this if funny, huh? Listen you little bitch, I thought I told you not to tell anyone about this?"

"I, I didn't," Haley stuttered, frightened by the angry look upon his face. "I swear."

"Yeah right, I bet you ran home and told big sis the night it happened and she was just waiting for the right time to get back at me." He sneered, pushing Haley backwards. Haley tripped over her feet but quickly regained her composure.

"Stop," she said firmly as possible but Christian just laughed and pushed her again, making her fall to the ground. Taylor, who was out for her daily jog stopped by the nearby tree and squinted when she saw a figure that looked like Haley. When she realized it was Haley and the blonde who she figured was Christian, ran over to her and instantly pulled Haley to her feet.

"Is there a problem here?" Taylor asked in a low voice. She grabbed Haley's and tightly and gently pushed her in back of her.

"No, there's no problem here, nothing that concerns you anyways," Christian bit back, glaring Taylor straight in her eyes. Taylor laughed and shook her head.

"Well when you start pushing my little sister to the ground, it is my concern."

Christian groaned and rolled his eyes. "I forgot there were two of you. "

Taylor nodded her head and smirked. "Yeah. I've got a brother too but you're lucky he's gone or else he'd kill you. But I can easily do that."

"Oh, yeah and I'd like to see you try. Your other psycho sister already beat you to it. So I think it's a little payback time for me."

Haley watched in horror as Christian raised his fist as if he were going to punch Taylor. "Taylor," she whimpered, trying to pull Taylor away from him, but Taylor stood her ground, unphased but it all.

"It's alright Haley," Taylor told her, letting Haley's hand go. "Let him hit me, I don't care."

Christian shrugged and brought his fist down, only to have Taylor grab it and smack it away. "You're not so tough now Mr. Big Shot."

"Shut up. Why don't you let your sister handle this?"

"Because," Taylor yelled, pushing Christian away from her. Christian blinked and tried to recover from the forceful push. "How does that feel? It doesn't feel too great to be pushed by a girl, does it? And it's real classy to be going around and pushing girls, especially girls that are my sisters. Brooke already kicked your ass so I'll spare you the pain."

"Oh, thanks," Christian said sarcastically, crossing his arms. "And who the hell do you think you are coming over here like this? Haley didn't exactly ask for you to come and rescue her."

"She didn't need to ask me," Taylor spat bitterly, grabbing Haley's hand again, "it's only natural to protect her when idiots like you hurt her. Look, buddy you have a serious problem, you need to get some help."

"I don't have a problem," he spat angrily, raising his hand again before quickly bringing it down. "I don't have a problem." And that was the final straw for Taylor, who tried to so hard not to snap.

"You don't have a problem?" She yelled, making passerby's stare at her. Taylor pulled Haley in front of her and took a firm hold on her shoulders. "Look at her. Look at how scared she is right now. And it's because of you." Haley tried to turn away but with Taylor's grip she had nowhere to go. "Don't you fucking tell me you don't have a problem," without even thinking, she lifted up Haley's shirt and pointed to the bruise that was beginning to fade away. "You fucking kicked her. You battered and bruised her, and if that's not a problem, then tell me what is." Haley pushed Taylor's arm away and started to walk away, but was soon pulled back by Taylor.

"Stop," Haley cried, looking at Taylor with watery eyes. Taylor looked at her sympathetically, realizing she had gone too far. "I just want to go home."

"One more minute, Hay," she whispered before turning back around to Christian. He stood there looking dumbfounded. "So if you ever think twice about hurting my baby sister ever again I'll rip you to shreds." Christian rolled his eyes only to be pushed by Taylor again. "Listen you bastard, listen to me!" Taylor yelled jerking Christian's face up from his feet. "I swear on my parent's grave, if you touch her I will kill you. And trust me, that is a fucking promise."

Taylor quickly pulled Haley along with her and they made their way across the park, Haley struggling to catch up with Taylor. "Slow down," Haley groaned, exhaling as Taylor stopped.

"I'm sorry. For what happened back there, I got a little out of control and I didn't mean to show him the bruise."

Haley smiled and gave Taylor a hug, which surprised her. "Don't be sorry. I know you're only trying to protect me." Taylor smiled back and grabbed hold of Haley's hand and led her out of the park. "Okay, you don't have to hold my hand though."

"Ah, yes I do. I'm still in protective mode. It should wear off when we get back to the house. Besides, there's something you, me and Brooke need to talk about when we get home, okay?" Haley nodded, unaware what was going on. She moaned while Taylor began to walk faster, which made Taylor laugh and pull her up alongside of her. "Sorry, I usually run home."

"Yeah, well forget about running today. Haley does not run."

**xxxx**

"So, you're okay now?" Karen asked cautiously, not wanting Brooke to become upset again. Brooke nodded and smiled widely, making Karen breathe a sigh of relief.

"Yeah, I think I am. Thanks for staying with me, Karen." Brooke leaned in and gave Karen another hug. She couldn't express in words how much she was grateful for having Karen in her life.

"No need to thank me," Karen said with a smile, giving Brooke a one last hug before getting up. "Well, I forgot what I wanted to come here for in the first place," she laughed along with Brooke, who stood up beside her.

"Um," Brooke wondered out loud, "did you need to see me? Haley? Taylor?" Karen's heart skipped a beat and realized what she originally came for. "Brooke, why don't you sit down for this. We'll wait until Haley gets home, she needs to hear this too."

"Okay," Brooke whispered, looking at Karen I bewilderment. She did as she was told and stiffly sat down, twiddling her thumbs, waiting for Karen to speak.

Taylor and Haley arrived outside their house just a few minutes later. Taylor glanced at Karen's car and looked at Haley.

"I didn't know Karen was here, I must have just missed her." Taylor said as Haley sat down on the porch.

"Yeah," Haley agreed distantly, figuring to leave out the part about Lucas cheating on Brooke.

"Can you do me a favor?" Taylor looked down at her and nodded. "Don't tell Brooke about what happened, okay? She's already got a lot of stuff to deal with and I don't want her dropping them all to take care of me."

Taylor let out a sigh and sat down next to her sister. "I won't tell her, but Haley, if you keep this in like the Nathan thing, she'll probably shit a brick and go kick his ass again.

"I know," Haley mumbled, looking down at her feet. "I just don't want to burden her with all my problems. So, just keep it a secret between us."

"Fine, Hay, but if she finds out-"

"She won't," Haley said sternly, standing up to her feet. "Just let it go." Taylor groaned at how stubborn Haley could be sometime. She got up and followed Haley into the house, only to stand confused while Brooke sat on the couch looking nervous and Karen paced around the room.

"Um, hi?" she said cautiously, making Karen jump, immediately throwing her hand over her heart. "Sorry. What's going on?"

"Oh nothing," Karen stuttered, nodding her head towards Brooke, "we were just waiting for you two to get home actually." Haley raised her eyebrow and joined Brooke on the couch. "Taylor," she motioned for her to come over. "I'm going to tell them, alright?"

Taylor was quiet for a minute before reluctantly agreeing with Karen. "Okay, I'll wait in the kitchen then."

"Okay," Karen whispered, rubbing Taylor's shoulders gently while she walked past her. She turned to Brooke and Haley and put a smile on her face. Brooke and Haley knew she was trying to dance around whatever she had to tell them and motioned for her to go on. "Girls, I don't know how to say this, or even where to begin, but I'm just going to say it right now."

"Is it bad?" Haley asked quietly, bring her knees up onto the couch and resting her chin down on them. Brooke bit her lip in anticipation and gently ran her hands through Haley's hair.

"No, no," Karen assured them, kneeling down in front of them and taking their hands into hers. "Well maybe. You probably noticed your brother hasn't been around in a while." Brooke snorted but quickly shutup when Karen glared at her. "Your brother, he, he lost his job when he refused to defend Nathan in court." Haley tensed up at Nathan's name and the mention of her brother. Brooke rested her hand on Haley's shoulder and gave it a small squeeze. "And somehow, Dan managed to shut down the firm he working for."

"What?" Brooke asked in shock, she never even knew about Mike's firm closing down. Karen nodded sadly and tried to push on with the subject.

"That job was his life and he felt so bad for losing it. And he felt like he failed you. Well, what I'm trying to say is, well, he found a new job in Boston and he jumped on it along with his girlfriend. Guys, I'm sorry to tell you this, but he moved out a few weeks ago. He couldn't say goodbye, I don't think he really wanted to." Karen ended the last part bitterly, knowing he wasn't involved in their lives at all, but still she went on.

"I don't care," Haley whispered, looking away from Karen. Brooke nodded along with Haley and began to gnaw on her lip.

"I know you don't honey," Karen said comfortingly, gently rubbing Haley's face with her hand. "But when he left, he also," she quickly wiped her eyes with her free hand and tried to regain her composure. But looking into Brooke and Haley's lost eyes made her want to cry again. "He gave up being your legal guardian and turned your custody case over to the state."

Brooke and Haley sat there in shock, looking at each other in horror. "Wait, he, he gave us up is what you're saying?" Brooke asked slowly, putting her hand over her mouth when Karen nodded. "But, why, why would he do that?"

Karen shook her head and squeezed their hands tighter. "I don't know, Brooke, I don't know. He, he asked me if I would consider becoming your guardian." Karen paused for a minute and let the information sink in. They looked up at her with hopefulness sparkling in their eyes. "And I thought about it long and hard. I went and talked to the lawyers and they told me it was the best thing to do right now."

"So does this mean?" Haley asked quietly, her stomach now in knots.

"Well, not exactly. See, I was nearly through with the process when someone else wanted a chance. Someone who knows you much better than I do." Brooke and Haley looked at each other and shrugged, trying to think of someone else besides Karen. "Someone, who loves you so much and someone who wants to make up for the mistakes they've made in the past."

And as if on cue, Taylor appeared in the doorway, waiting for the shocked expressions to appear on her sister's faces. They turned around, looking at her and then back at Karen. "Taylor?" Brooke whispered in awe, staring with her mouth wide open.

Karen couldn't help but smile when she saw the happy expressions on each girl's face. "Taylor agreed to take custody of you and become your guardian."

"It's the least I could do," Taylor said with a smile. Brooke immediately got off the couch and gave her a hug. But Haley sat there, still trying to take it all in. Karen picked up on it and placed her hand on Haley's knee.

"Are you okay?" Karen asked in concern wondering about the grave look on Haley's face. Haley shook her head and bit the tip of her fingernail.

"I, I'm not sure. Can I talk to you outside?" Haley whispered, getting up off the couch after Karen gave her a nod. Taylor tried to hide her disappointment when Haley walked outside with Karen in tow. Brooke was still hugging her so she couldn't see the look on her face.

"Haley, I know it must be hard," Karen began, sitting down on the steps next to Haley. "But trust me, everything is going to be okay."

"How do you know that?" Haley asked, her eyes filling up with tears. "Can you honestly sit here and promise me that everything is going to be okay? She'll be just like my brother, take care of us for a while, then forget about us and then throw us away."

Karen shook her head and tried to hide the shock in her voice. "Haley, that is not going to happen. She's changed a lot over the past few years."

"So what?" Haley half-yelled, "so what if she's changed? She's only doing this to prove to us that she's grown up. It's all just a big act, I know her much better than you do."

"Haley James," Karen said in disbelief, "I can't believe you just said that." Haley got up from the porch and shut her eyes for a minute.

"I can't talk about this right now. I'll see you later," Haley mumbled, going back in the house and leaving Karen still in shock. Taylor quickly moved away from the window when the door opened and tried to stop the tears from falling down her face after hearing what her sister had just said. Brooke had gone upstairs to call Peyton and tell her what just happened and wasn't there to hear what Haley had said.

"Haley," Taylor began when Haley started going up the stairs. "Haley wait," she called out when Haley ran up the stairs. "Haley!"

"What?" Haley snapped , turning around to look at Taylor. "Just leave me alone." Taylor walked up to her and shook her head.

"I'm not going to leave you alone," Taylor said, trying to rest her hand on Haley's shoulder. "What's wrong with you?"

Haley tapped her foot and turned away, shaking Taylor's hand off of her. "Nothing is wrong, now just leave me alone." She started to walk into her room but Taylor quickly pulled her back.

"Haley," Taylor snapped, suddenly losing her patience with Haley. "Look, I heard what you said and-"

"And what? Don't tell me it's not true because I know you Taylor, I know you. I know what you're going to do, you're going to get sick of and then just throw us away just like your bastard child."

A deafening silence filled the room. The only sound made was by Taylor's shallow breathing. The words pierced through her and it took everything in her power to stop herself from hurting Haley. "You," Taylor began, pointing her finger at Haley while tears streamed down her face. "Are an ungrateful little brat you know that? I try and do something nice and this is how you thank me?"

"I never asked you to do it Taylor, I never told you to tell Mike to leave and give us up. I never said a damn thing to you about it so don't call me an ungrateful brat when you know you brought this upon yourself."

"Fine then. You don't want me to be your guardian? I'll call social services and they can deal with you." She began to walk away but turned back around when Haley said something.

"See, you're already throwing me away, just like your daughter," Haley spat, making Taylor turn around in anger. She marched over and glared right at Haley.

"I did not throw her away," Taylor yelled, making Brooke peer out her bedroom door to see what was going on, "I was forced to give her up so don't you dare say I threw her away. You have no idea what the hell I went through." Haley rolled her eyes prompting Taylor to throw her arms up in frustration. 'You know what? I'm going to sit here and have this conversation with you." Haley muttered something and went into her room, slamming the door shut behind her.

Brooke carefully made her way down the hall and nearly bumped into Taylor when she turned around. "What happened?"

"I made a mistake, that's what happened," Taylor sniffled, wiping her eyes before starting to walk down the hall.

"Taylor, wait," Brooke called out after her but let out a sigh when she disappeared down the stairs. Karen came up a few seconds later with a worried look on her face.

"What's going on?" She asked, walking over to Brooke, who shrugged.

"I don't know," Brooke said quietly, "they were yelling about something and next thing I know Taylor ran down the stairs in tears and Haley slammed the door. But something tells me this is Haley's fault."

Karen sighed and nodded sadly. "I think she's taking this harder than I expected. She feels like Taylor's only doing it to prove something to you two." Brooke closed her eyes and sank to the floor, staring at the wall.

"I can tell she's really changed, Karen. I don't think Haley wants to believe it's for real, you know? I don't think she trusts anybody anymore to do her right." Brooke sighed again and got to her feet, placing her hands on the doorknob. "I'll go talk to her."

"Do you want me to come in there with you?"

Brookeshook her headand gave the older brunette a smile. "No thanks, but if you hear things banging and me screaming, you might want to come in." Karen laughed a little and watched Brooke slowly opened the door to Haley's room while taking a deep breath. She felt her heart sink when she saw Haley sitting on the side of her bed sobbing uncontrollably. "Haley?"  
Haley looked up and turned her head towards Brooke, who was coming over to sit on the bed. "What did you say to Taylor?"

"Nothing," Haley mumbled, turning so her back was now facing Brooke. "Just leave me alone."

"I am not going to leave you alone," Brooke said on a borderline angry tone, "what did you say to her Haley?"

"It's none of your business," Haley snapped, annoyed that Brooke would come in and start taking sides. "I don't want to talk about."

Brooke let out a frustrated groan and had remembered what Karen said before she went in. She knew Haley was feeling a little bit skeptical about the whole thing but she couldn't understand why. Taylor had changed and it was really obvious she made an effort to become a better person. "She's changed, Haley. You know it, I know it, everyone knows it Haley. She's not doing it to prove something to use, she's doing it because she loves us."

Haley sat in silence just staring blankly at the wall. "I know," she finally whispered turning back around to Brooke. "I know. I'm just scared."

"What?"

"I'm scared!" Haley yelled making Brooke jump. "I'm scared, okay?"

"Why are you scared, baby? What happened today?" Brooke asked with concern laced in her voice. When Haley didn't reply, she became agitated. She was about to say something but stopped when Taylor's voice came from behind them.

"Yeah, why are you scared?" Taylor asked in a nasal tone. She had managed to stop crying after she had a small talk with Karen. Just hearing about Emily made her want to cry. There was something she wasn't telling anyone because she could barely accept it herself. But all the years of holding it in made it harder and harder to move on. She couldn't tell anyone, not before she told herself it was true. She made her way over to the bed and sat down on the other side of Haley.

Haley looked away and felt trapped in between her two older sisters. She had nowhere to go and knew she couldn't get out of this no matter how hard she tried. "Because," she sniffled, wiping her eyes and taking a breath, "Tay, I am so sorry for what I said to you, I didn't mean any of it. I'm, I'm just trying to understand it all, okay? It's hard to take in. I really am grateful you would do something like this."

"Haley, I can see why you would be scared, but honey, nothing is going to happen. We're going to be fine, I promise you that." Taylor said, putting her arm around Haley and pulling her close to her. Brooke smiled and nodded, resting her hand on Haley's knee.

"I know, but what are we going to do for money?" Haley asked quietly. Brooke never really thought about it in the first place. She looked worried along with Haley.

"Well," Taylor began looking at both of her sisters, "you don't need to worry about it. The house is paid off, Brooke's car and my car are paid off, and even though we have a deadbeat brother, he did agree to take care of everything for us. And mom and dad did leave us a good chunk of change. We're going to be okay, Hay." The three of them were silent for a minute before Brooke got off the bed.

"I'm going to go to bed because I forgot about the cheerleading clinic the bitch that slept with my boyfriend signed us up for," she said, trying to stop the tears from welling up in her eyes. She saw that Taylor was going to say something but she put her hand up to stop her. "Don't. Don't say anything because I'll end up crying again and I don't want that." Brooke voice cracked with every word she spoke but managed to hold everything in. "Goodnight," she mumbled, walking out of the room leaving Taylor and Haley to stare at each other.

"Um," Taylor began while getting off the bed. "I'll go check on her. What are you going to do?"

"Oh, I'll just go to bed too. Nothing else to do." Haley said, looking up at Taylor. "What are you going to do?"

Taylor shrugged and bit her lip. "I'll find something to do, don't worry," she headed for the door while Haley turned around to look at her.

"Taylor?" Haley whispered watching her sister turn back around on her heel. Taylor scratched her head knowing what Haley was going to ask but she wasn't sure if it was her place to bring it up or not.

"Sorry, I forgot," Taylor mumbled, walking back over to the bed. "Do you want me to go back and get Brooke for you? I'm sure she wouldn't care-"

"No it's fine," Haley cut her off, grabbing Mr. Waffles from the floor. "Would you do it?" She asked quietly, waiting for Taylor's answer. Taylor thought about it for a few seconds before shrugging her shoulders.

"Sure why not, I used to tuck you in back in the day," Taylor laughed as Haley got off the bed and waited for her to pull the covers out.

"Yeah but you always did it wrong," Haley giggled while slipping into bed. Taylor rolled her eyes and put the covers on top of her before sitting down on the bed. "And you still do."

"How did I do it wrong?" Taylor asked in disbelief, "Haley-bub all you do is put the covers on top of the person, it's not rocket science."

Haley sat up in the bed and shrugged. "I don't know, maybe because you do it differently than Brooke."

"Well speaking of," Taylor began while getting off the bed, "I should probably go see if she's okay. Broken hearts are tough to get over and it's the one subject I can help her out with."

"Okay," Haley whispered letting out a yawn. She closed her eyes for a second and put her hands over her head, making Taylor concerned.

"Are you alright?"

"Yeah, yeah," Haley assured her waving her hand as a signal she was, "I just feel a little dizzy." Taylor bit her lip and put her hand to Haley's forehead, frowning when it felt warm.

"You're a little warm. Just try and get some sleep and we'll see how you feel in the morning," Taylor said, gently laying Haley back down. "Good night, Hay."

"Good night, Tay," Haley said, letting out a little laugh at the face Taylor made. Taylor gave her a quick hug before walking out of the room and gently shutting the door behind her. She made her way over to Brooke's room and knocked quietly on the door. "Brooke are you okay?" She was going to say something else but stopped when she opened the door and saw Brooke sound asleep on the bed. Taylor smiled and carefully made her way over to the bed and pulled the covers on Brooke's body. She gave her a kiss on the top of her head before heading out of the room.

Taylor couldn't help but smile once she left Brooke's room. For the first time in her life she felt proud of herself and felt like she really accomplished something. Her life was back on track and she finally felt like her life was worth living. She only wished her parents were here to see how much she changed. But she knew they were watching and she liked to think they too were proud of her for taking care of Brooke and Haley. The three of them were a family and they needed to stick together for the upcoming months ahead.

* * *

**Well there it is. I hope you liked it..and since I feel bad for making you wait, I'll post some stuff that's going to happen in the upcoming chapters.**

**-Brooke sells her soul to the devil and makes a heartwrenching choice.  
-Taylor and Haley continue to butt heads over Taylor's decision.  
-Haley confronts the one person that caused her all the pain she's suffered.  
-Taylor finally reveals the truth about Emily while Haley's past comes back to haunt her.  
-Brooke contemplates her decision and realizes she's made a mistake but it's too late to change her mind.**


	25. Because of you I'm ashamed of my life

**Okay, here it is. I'm not liking it very much but I got so frustrated with it and left some things without an explanation. But I hope you like it..**

* * *

"Do you really have to go to this cheerleading thing?" Haley asked, sitting down on Brooke's bed and watching Brooke throw things into her blue duffel bag.

Brooke looked back up at her and sighed. "Yes, Haley. I don't want to, and believe me when I say I'd rather stick a fork in my eye, but I can't miss this thing. I've already missed a lot of other things when you know what happened."

"I know, but I'm not really feeling very good," Haley coughed which made Brooke roll her eyes.

"Don't even try the fake cough on me, I invented that thing," Brooke laughed, sitting down on the bed next to Haley. Haley looked at her in disbelief and coughed again.

"Brooke I'm serious. I'm not that lame to use that fake cough of yours." Haley replied, lying down on the bed. Brooke made a face and shook her head.

"You do look a little pale," she said, putting her hand to Haley's forehead. Her eyes widened when she felt how hot Haley was. "Oh my god, you weren't kidding. Come here," Brooke pulled Haley up by the hand and dragged her down the stairs and into the kitchen. Taylor raised her eyebrows when Brooke ran in the room with Haley struggling to keep up. "Sit here," Brooke commanded, patting the counter with her hand. Haley jumped up and watched Brooke rummage through the cabinets.

"What the hell are you looking for?" Taylor asked, getting up from her seat and walking over to Brooke and Haley. Brooke ignored her and grunted when she couldn't find what she was looking for. "Brooke!" Taylor yelled, snapping her fingers in Brooke's face, "what are you looking for?" Haley watched in amusement as the two of them bickered back and forth.

"The thermometer," Brooke stated quickly, standing on her tiptoes to get a better look into the cabinets. Taylor looked confused and looked at Haley.

"Why, what's wrong?" Taylor asked, knocking Brooke out of the way with her hip and opened the drawer, pulling out the thermometer in a second.

"Feel Haley's head," Brooke commanded, snatching the thermometer out of Taylor's hand and practically shoving it into Haley's mouth.

Taylor frowned and placed the back of her hand over Haley's head just to make sure. "You are really warm, Hay."

"I'm fine," Haley protested, taking the instrument out of her mouth making Brooke's eyes widen. Haley nearly choked when Brooke shoved it back in her mouth.

"You are not fine," Brooke practically yelled, making Taylor jump. "Just leave that in there and if your temperature is fine, then you're free to go."

"But-"

"No buts!" Brooke said in a stern voice, tapping her foot anxiously. Haley sighed and sat there with a sullen look on her face. Taylor scratched her head in anticipation as the thing beeped. Before she could grab it, Brooke yanked it out of Haley's mouth and quickly glanced at it, her mouth falling open in surprise.

"101," she said, putting her hand on her forehead and looking back up at Haley. "Oh my god, she's going to die!" Haley's eyes widened and Taylor rolled her eyes, taking the thermometer out of Brooke's hands.

"Brooke," Taylor groaned, "she's not going to die. It's just a little fever, you'll be fine, Hay. Why don't you go lay down and I'll make you something to eat." Haley nodded and got off the counter with a little help from Taylor. Once she was out of the room, Taylor turned to Brooke and started laughing. "She's going to die!" She mimicked Brooke's voice, wincing as soon after Brooke struck her in the arm.

"It's not funny," Brooke pouted, crossing her arms. "I am just being overly cautious, we want to nip this cold in the butt while we can."

"Bud," Taylor corrected making Brooke roll her eyes.

"Whatever. So what are we suppose to do? Aren't we supposed to give her some like medicine to help the fever go down? Do you think she has a stomachache? Would her throat be sore? Her ears won't get infected, will they?"

Taylor blinked and looked at her sister in disbelief. "What the hell are you on? Brooke, it's just a little fever, nothing serious. All you do is give her some cold medicine and make sure she drinks plenty of fluids and gets a lot of rest."

"When did you become a Doctor?" Brooke asked in a serious voice, watching Taylor take out the medicine from the cabinets.

"It's not rocket science!" Taylor half-yelled, getting frustrated by Brooke's ignorance. "Look, just go to your stupid cheerleading clinic and I'll stay home with her." Brooke shook her head and followed Taylor into the living room.

"Oh no, I'm not leaving her here like this. Screw cheerleading." Taylor let out a heavy sigh and sat down on the coffee table in front of Haley. Haley groaned when she couldn't see the TV anymore.

"Brooke." Taylor said in frustration, "it'll be fine. Haley, you'll be fine if I stay here with you and Brooke goes and hangs out with brainless cheerleaders, right?" Haley shrugged and sat up a little bit, looking at Brooke, who was shaking her head letting her know to say no.

"I guess," Haley mumbled, making Brooke throws her hands up in the air. "What?"

"What!" Brooke cried in disbelief, "you're supposed to say no! You're supposed to say you need your Brookie here to take care of you."

"See Brooke, she'll be okay. Now go," Taylor said as the car horn outside beeped, signaling Peyton was outside waiting.

"I don't want to," Brooke said, crossing her arms and sitting on the edge of the couch, running her hands through Haley's hair. "I'm staying." The horn beeped again which meant Peyton was getting frustrated.

"I'll be fine," Haley said, leaning her head back to look at Brooke. "Just go and have fun with the fake blondes who have no brains." Brooke frowned and looked at Taylor, who nodded and then looked at Haley who gestured for her to go out the door.

"Fine." Brooke whined, getting up from the couch and running upstairs to get her bag. When she came down she walked back over to Haley and Taylor and gently gave Haley a small hug before heading to the door. "You know I'm going to call like every hour right?"

"Brooke, just go," Taylor groaned, pushing Brooke towards the door.

"I just hate leaving her like this," Brooke said with a sad look on her face, twirling around so she could get out of Taylor's grip. This time the horn beeped more than once and Brooke let out a frustrated sigh. "Tell that blonde bitch if she beeps that thing one more time it's going up her ass."

"Brooke you can just go, I'll be fine. I'm not even that sick," Haley said, trying to reason with her insanely overprotective sister.

"I know," Brooke retorted, kneeling in front of Haley. "Call me if you need anything, okay? Tissues, a blanket, anything. I don't care if I have to walk home, I'll get it for you."

"Okay," Haley said, biting her lip to try and stop herself from laughing. Brooke was overreacting about this whole thing and she found it somewhat funny. Just as Brooke bent down to give Haley one last hug, the horn screeched outside and Taylor jumped in shock.

"Will you go before your friend gives me a heart attack!" Taylor said while catching her breath. Brooke reluctantly sighed and picked up her duffel back and headed to the door.

"Let me just make sure she really has a fever-"Brooke started to walk back towards Haley but Taylor grabbed her arm, opened the door and practically shoved her down the walk away and into Peyton's car. "Taylor!"

"Finally!" Peyton groaned, turning her car back on. Brooke looked at Taylor with wide eyes, still trying to process what had just happened. "Will you get your ass in the car so we can go?" Brooke mumbled something getting into the car while looking at her sister. Taylor rolled her eyes and watched as the two teenagers drove down the street before driving out of her site.

"Psycho sister is gone," Taylor announced, shutting the front door behind her. Haley laughed a little and rolled over so she can see the TV. "I swear she's just like a mother sending her child off to kindergarten."

Haley shuddered at the thought of what Brooke was going to be like when the two went off to college. She wasn't sure if she was even going to go to College and if she did go, Brooke would probably want to go there too. "She means well."

"Oh, I know," Taylor nodded, sitting down on the middle off the couch. Haley's legs were right up against her back now but neither of them seemed to mind. "So, are you hungry?"

"I don't know," Haley shrugged, trying to think of something good to eat. "What are you willing to make?"

"Whatever you want," Taylor said nervously, hoping Haley wouldn't go too crazy and ask for a huge breakfast. She saw Haley thinking contently over it and got to her feet. "You know what, I'll surprise you."

Before Haley could respond, Taylor jumped to her feet and rushed into the kitchen leaving Haley dumbfounded. She let out a small sigh suddenly wishing she had Brooke stay. Taylor was just as good, but nothing beat having Brooke around, she could always think of things to do.

After 15 minutes of drifting in and out of sleep, Haley's eyes fluttered open to the aroma of pancakes under her nose. "Mmm." She moaned, rubbing her eyes and positioning herself so she was now sitting up.

"I made your favorite," Taylor said, handing the plate to Haley. "Chocolate chip. That is your favorite right?" When Haley didn't say anything, the smile on Taylor's face turned into a frown. "Crap, it's Brooke who likes chocolate chip right?"

"I like blueberries," Haley turned away from Taylor's semi-shocked face.

"Oh. That's fine, I can just make more," Taylor said, grabbing the plate out of Haley's hands. Haley grabbed it back with a giggle and she became confused.

"I'm just kidding, I'm the one who likes chocolate chips," Haley said, taking a bite of the pancakes and nodding her head in approval. "Good job, Tay."

"Thanks Hales. Now, after you're done you have to take two spoonfuls of this crap here, okay?" Taylor held picked up the medicine bottle that was on the coffee table and waved it around in Haley's face.

Haley immediately frowned and made a disgusted face. "What kind is it?"

Taylor shook her head and looked at her oddly. "Does it really matter?"

"Yes it does," Haley said, placing the pancakes down on the floor next to her. "If it's grape than I can't have it."

"Um, why?" Taylor asked in confusion, studying the bottle that was lying in her hand. "It's grape."

"I hate grape!" Haley whined, flopping back down on the couch. Taylor rolled her eyes and twisted the cap open, much to Haley's dislike.

"Too bad," Taylor mimicked, carefully pouring the medicine onto the spoon. "Open your mouth." She tried to ignore the horrible smell the bottle produced by turning her head to the side.

"If Brooke was here she would run to the store and get me cherry or something." Haley said, crossing her arms and turning her head away. "I refuse to take grape medicine."

"Tell it to someone who cares," Taylor bit back, bringing the spoon closer to Haley's mouth. "Don't make me shove this in your face."

"Fine," Haley grumbled, reluctantly taking the goop that sat on the spoon. After reluctantly swallowing it, she began to cough violently. Taylor rolled her eyes and poured some more onto the spoon.

"Stop being such a baby," she said, shaking her head. "Now just one more, is it going to kill you?"

"After what just happened, I think it just might." Haley replied in a serious tone. "I think one is fine-" Before she knew it, Taylor had shoved the spoon in to her mouth, this time making her choke for real.

"I'm sorry," Taylor apologized with a smirk on her face. "It's over with now. At least for another 4 hours or so."

Haley's eyes widened and she shook her head furiously. "Oh no, there is no way I am taking more of that crap. I'd rather suffer for the rest of the weekend then take that nasty stuff." Taylor rolled her eyes and picked up the plate of pancakes off the floor and took a few bites.

"So, what do you want to do? Besides sit here and complain all day?" Taylor asked, sighing when Haley shrugged her shoulders. She placed the plate down on the table and looked back at Haley. "Fine then, we can sit here and talk all day. Tell me what's going on in your life?"

Haley raised her eyebrow at her sister and shrugged again. "Nothing," she whispered, looking down at her hands that were rested on her stomach. "Can I ask you something?" Taylor nodded her head and gestured for her to go on. "Does she look like you?"

"What?" Taylor asked in confusion. She wasn't sure if Haley said what she thought she said and wanted to make sure she didn't say something she'd regret later on. "Does who look like me, Hay?"

"Your daughter," Haley whispered again, looking up at Taylor. "My niece." She was hesitant to say niece but somehow managed to push past her doubt. Taylor looked at her with a surprised look and tried to swallow past the lump forming in her throat.

"No," she whispered after a few minutes. "She looks like," Taylor trailed off, leaving Haley to fill in the blanks.

"Nathan?" Haley finished timidly, shuddering at the mention of his name. Taylor shook her head sadly and placed a comforting hand on Haley's knee. "Are you ever going to tell him?"

Taylor shook her head again and sighed. "No I'm not. He has every right to know about her, but she's not even in my life so why should she be in his?"

"That's true," Haley said, wondering if she should change the subject or continue talking about. "So, when's the last time you saw her?"

And with those words, Taylor froze in her seat. "Haley," she warned, signaling she didn't want to talk about it anymore.

"I'm sorry," Haley said quietly, looking back down at her hands. Taylor sighed and ran her fingers through her hair.

"No, don't be sorry. It's not your fault, it's my own." Taylor said, trying to stop the tears forming in her eyes. Haley saw Taylor's eyes getting watery and became concerned.

"Taylor, what's wrong?" Haley asked, placing her hand on Taylor's lap. "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine," Taylor snapped quickly, wiping her eyes. Haley knew she was hiding something but she wasn't sure if it was her place to call her out on it. "Sorry. It's just hard."

"What's hard?" Haley whispered as Taylor got off the couch. She let out a small sigh and watched Taylor pace around the room, quickly wiping the tears away.

"There's something you don't know about Emily," Taylor mumbled, making Haley sit up in surprise. Taylor saw the look on her sister's face and let out a heavy sigh, sitting back down on the couch. "It's hard, okay? I've never told anyone before and I'm not sure how to say it exactly."

"Okay," Haley said nervously while waiting for Taylor to continue. "Is it bad? You're starting to scare me."

Taylor shook her head and looked down at her feet before looking back at Haley. "Two years ago when Emily was 2, she was in the car with the couple that adopted her. It was a really rainy night and people were advised to stay off the roads."

"Oh no," Haley gasped, throwing her hands over her mouth. "Tay, she didn't, did she?" Taylor's attempt to choke back her sob failed miserably and covered her face with her hands.

"She didn't make it, no one did. The car was totaled and it's all my fault." Taylor sobbed, making Haley freeze from across her. Haley had rarely seen Taylor cry and she really had no clue what to do.

"It's not your fault," Haley whispered softly, gently reaching over to hug Taylor. "Why would you say something like that? You had nothing to do with their accident."

"I know," Taylor sniffled, wiping her eyes with the back of her sleeve. She looked at Haley and patted her on the knee. "I just kept thinking if I hadn't given her away she'd still be here."

"Yeah but you had no choice, Taylor," Haley told her, "we all know nobody messes with Dan Scott. If you're going to blame someone, then blame him. He's the one that made you give her up."

"And I should blame him. But I can't. I can only blame myself, even though I know I had nothing to do with it. It's all very complicated, Haley." Taylor whispered, looking up at the ceiling. Haley bit her lip and glanced around the room while listening to the silence.

"I'm sorry."

Taylor fixed her gaze at her sister and gave her a weird look. "Sorry for what, Hay?"

Haley shrugged and twiddled her thumbs before turning away. "Sorry for not being able to," Haley let out a sigh before she went on. "I'm sorry for not being able to, to, help you." Taylor looked at her in confusion and motioned for her to go on. "I don't know what to do, or what to say. I usually don't help people, they usually help me." Haley whispered shamefully, staring down at her lap.

"Oh, Haley, you don't need to be sorry," Taylor said, giving Haley a hug. Haley sniffled and pulled back, wiping her eyes.

"See, this always happens. It always, always happens. It always turns around and I'm the one who needs to be comforted." Haley muttered, making Taylor sigh in frustration.

"It's okay, Haley. I'm fine," Taylor stuttered, trying her best not to crack again. Haley looked at her doubtfully and shook her head.

"No you're not. You're hurting and here I am trying to make this about me. I'm sorry," Haley said, getting off the couch and walking over to the armchair. Taylor exhaled loudly and got up after her.

"Haley listen to me," Haley looked up at Taylor and waited for her to go on. Taylor kneeled down in front of her and took Haley's hands in hers. "First, stop apologizing, okay? Secondly, I know I'm not fine, but I will be soon enough. Sometimes you just have to face your fears, no matter how frightening they are."

"Yeah," Haley whispered, becoming lost in Taylor's words. Facing her fear was what she had to do. Taylor gave her a small smile and stood up, wiping the creases away from her jeans.

"Now, how about I go and rent us a movie? Will you be okay alone for a half hour or so?" Taylor asked, hoping Haley wouldn't go back to the previous subject. She smiled when Haley nodded and bent down to give her a kiss on the top of her head. "Call me if you need anything. I'll be back soon."

Haley nodded and watched Taylor disappear out the door. She sighed heavily and stood up from the armchair, thinking about Nathan. He was her one fear and in order for her to face him, she was going to have to muster up all the courage she could manage.

"I can do this," she whispered to herself, waiting for Taylor's car to leave the driveway. Once out of sight, she took a deep breath and walked out the door, telling herself she could do this.

She couldn't imagine how incredibly stupid she looked walking down the street with penguin pajama pants on and a dark blue long sleeve shirt on. But she didn't care. The weird stares she was receiving from people were the last thing on her mind and when she finally reached her destination, she felt all the fear and pain come back to her. But she wasn't going to runaway, not this time at least.

Taking another deep breath, she carefully pulled the door open to the police station and slowly walked to the front desk. The woman, who she vaguely recognized from her previous trip smiled at the sight of her.

"Hi," Nancy greeted softly, remembering Haley from just over a month ago. "Can I help you?" Haley nodded shyly and looked up at her with wide eyes.

"Yes," she whispered, closing her eyes for a brief second before regaining her composure. "I was wondering if I could see Nathan Scott?" Nancy's smile dropped to a frown and she nodded her head hesitantly.

"Hold on, let me just call one of the guards and see if it's okay." Nancy waited patiently for one of the guards to pick up. When they did she looked at Haley and forced a smile. "Yes, hi. I have someone here who would like to see Nathan Scott, would that be alright?" Haley bit her lip and waited for the answer when Nancy hung up the phone. "Go right ahead down the hall and to your left, there will be a guard waiting for you."

"Thank you," Haley whispered, beginning to slowly walk down the hall, taking deep breaths with each step she took. Face your fear, she kept telling herself. Face your fear. She took a left at the end of the hall and tensed up when she saw the guard walking towards her. He tried to hide the surprised look on his face at the sight of the young girl in front of him.

"Follow me," He said, waving his hand for her to follow him down the hall. Haley ran to catch up with him and followed him to a room where it was split in half by a long table and glass separating the prisoner and the visitor. "If you want to take a seat right here, we'll bring him in."

"Okay," Haley stuttered, taking the seat in front of her. She watched the guard walk away and nervously awaited the arrival of Nathan. Nathan finally strolled in an orange jumpsuit while being escorted by two guards. He immediately smirked at the sight of Haley and picked up the phone, waiting for Haley to do the same.

"Well, well, well, look who we have here," He sneered into the phone, making Haley shudder. She shook her head to rid her thoughts and tried to swallow past the lump in her throat.

"Hi," She said quietly, trying her best not to avoid eye contact with Nathan.

"So, what brings you here, Little Brooke?" Nathan asked, leaning back in his chair, obviously amused by Haley's discomfort.

"I came to see you." Haley said, clearing her throat so she could speak up. "How are you doing?" Nathan shrugged and showed no discomfort of being in prison.

"Oh I'm doing fine," He said sarcastically, "It's great actually. I made a couple of friends and we share rape stories." Nathan laughed at the shocked look on Haley's face. "I'm just kidding, relax Little Brooke."

"My name is Haley."

"I know," Nathan snickered, "but I like calling you Little Brooke. Look, is there any point to this little visit because I have shit to do."

"I won't keep you then," Haley whispered, staring down at the table. She heard Nathan sigh and slowly looked back up.

"Will you stop fucking whispering? I don't have fucking sonic hearing or whatever."

"Sorry," Haley apologized, doing her best to stay calm. He couldn't hurt her, not with all the people around. "I just came here to see you."

"Well here I am." Nathan said, putting the phone down and gesturing to himself before picking the phone back up.

"I know." Haley said quietly, but quickly corrected herself and spoke up. "I know. You really hurt me you know."

"What?" Nathan asked harshly. She was whispering again and he was getting pissed off. "Will you fucking speak up!"

"I said you hurt me!" Haley yelled, startling the other visitors in the room. "You hurt me so much, Nathan. You have no idea what the hell you did to me."

Nathan rolled his eyes and wiggled his eyebrows at her. "Trust me, I know what you did. And if I could, I'd do it again." Haley's heart skipped a beat as she looked at the menacing grin appearing on his face.

"You're a horrible person you know that?" She spat, ignoring the laughter coming out of his obnoxious mouth. "I hope you rot in here forever."

"Aw, too bad forever is 4 years," Nathan said sarcastically, unphased by the pure thought of spending 4 years in jail. "Yeah 4 years. Apparently I had a 'past' warning and I violated it. And seeing as your brother wouldn't defend me in court, the lawyer my dad hired wasn't good enough. So this is going to be my home for the next 4 years or so. December 26th, 2009 is when I get out."

"Good," Haley said, wiping the smirk right off his face with her words, "you belong in here."

"Whatever," Nathan muttered, rolling his eyes. "So is that it? All you came here to do was to tell me I belong in jail?"

Haley was silent for a minute before finding the courage to tell him how she felt, to tell him what he did to her. "No." He looked up in somewhat shocked and let out a small sigh. "I came here to tell you how much you ruined my life."

"What?"

"You ruined my life, Nathan." Haley said, her eyes beginning to water. He started deep into her wet brown eyes and fell silent. "You ruined my sister's life, and you pretty much ruined everyone's life that cares about me."

"And how the hell did I do that?" Nathan asked in an angry tone. "How would I ruin Brooke's life? It's not like I tried to rape her. I mean, I already nailed that bitch in the 10th grade."

"Don't call her a bitch," Haley said harshly, giving Nathan a death glare. He rolled his eyes and mumbled an apology. "Because of you, she dropped everything to help me. She lost her boyfriend to some slut because she spent all her time with me. She gave up her life for me."

Nathan shrugged, finding nothing wrong with those reasons. "So? So what if she gave up her 'life' to be with you. Big fucking deal. You should be at least thanking me for that. Your sister hated your fucking guts, and trust me when I say this, she encouraged her friends to make your life a living hell. Fuck, even I tried to talk her out of that."

"You're lying," Haley yelled, slamming her hands on the table, "you are lying. Brooke would never tell them to make fun of me. She had more heart then that. Why do you insist tearing me down like this? What did I ever do to you?"

"You refused to have sex with me, simple as that." Nathan told her, shrugging his shoulders. "Do you know how many guys in school have tried to get with all three of you girls? Taylor was a little hard to get with, but once she came around she was never a disappointment. Brooke, well give that girl a beer and she'll be all over you in a heartbeat. But you, you were different. I was a freshman when I slept with Taylor and I became a fucking legend. I was the first freshman to nail Taylor James. Brooke, well Brooke was drunk so had no problem with that. And then you, you just refused."

"You're a real piece of work you know that?"

"I know," Nathan smirked at Haley's comment. "Anyways, back to my story. You refused and that fucking pissed me off. So I figured instead of chasing you, I'd just force you to do it."

"Why?" Haley asked, trying to stop the tears from spilling over. She was trying her best not to breakdown and cry right in front of him. She couldn't let him win. Nathan shrugged and tilted his head back, trying to avoid her face. "Why, Nathan?"

Nathan brought his head back and looked deep into her eyes. "Because I could." Haley stared at him in confusion and he bit his lip before he went on. "You're powerless compared to me, Little Brooke. I guess with everything that has been going on with my parents, emancipating myself from them, I felt like I lost control. And I figured if I did something like this, it would make me feel powerful."

"Did it?" Haley whispered, staring down at the table.

"What?"

"I said did it!" Haley yelled, slamming her fist on the table. "Did it make you feel powerful to throw yourself on top of me and force me to have sex with you?" Nathan hung his head down in shame and Haley started to breathe heavily. "Well did it, Nathan? Did it make you feel in control again?"

"Haley," Nathan started to say but Haley cut him off by slamming her palm into the glass barrier that separated them. Many other people stopped their conversations to watch Haley's outburst towards the man on the other side of her.

"Don't you dare try and defend yourself here, Nathan. God, you're such, such.."

"Such a what?" Nathan asked with a smirk on his face. Haley tapped her foot nervously, trying to regain her composure to finish her sentence. "Come on, what am I? A jerk? Asshole?"

Haley locked eyes with him and slowly shook her head. "You're a low life bastard."

"That hurts, Little Brooke," He laughed, watching Haley get angrier by the minute. "Oh come on, I'm just playing with you."

"Shutup," Haley snapped, stuffing her hands into her pockets and pulling out a piece of paper. "I'm not too proud of this, but a few days after what happened, I wrote you a little something that I thought I'd never read to you. But now that I'm here."

"Aw, you wrote me a poem?" Nathan said sarcastically, leaning forward so he could get a better listen. Haley nodded and he gestured for her to go on. "Well read it, I'm flattered you'd write something about me."

Haley swallowed hard and unfolded the piece of paper with trembling hands. Nathan sighed, letting her know he was getting tired of waiting. She took one last gulp and scanned over the words scribbled down on the paper. "I will not let myself cause my heart so much misery. I will not break the way you did, you fell so hard." Nathan snorted but listened as she went on. "Because of you I never stray too far from the sidewalk, because of you I learned to play on the safe side so I don't get hurt, because of you I find it hard to trust not only me, but everyone around me."

"I'm not liking where this is going, Little Brooke."

Haley sniffled and quickly wiped the tears away and continued. "I'm forced to fake a smile, a laugh everyday of my life, my heart can't possibly break when it wasn't even whole to start with." Nathan continued to roll his eyes and tuned out when Haley went on. "Because of you I try my hardest just to forget everything because of you I don't know how to let anyone else in."

When Nathan had enough, he slammed his fist down on the table. "Alright, that's it! I swear to God if you think telling me what I did to hurt you is going to make me feel bad then shut your mouth. And you're lucky there's this glass barrier separating us or else I would have finished what I started you little bitch."

**xxxx**

Taylor let out a sigh when she tried her best to juggle the bag of groceries in one hand, and the three DVD'S she rented in the other. She pushed the door open with her hip and bit her lip when she saw Haley was nowhere in the room. "Haley?" She called out, walking into the kitchen and setting the bag and movies on the table. "Are you down here?"

When she got no answer, Taylor quickly jogged up the stairs and ran into Haley's room, her heart skipping a beat when Haley wasn't in there. "Shit," she muttered, rushing into the hall and picking up the phone and dialing Brooke's cell phone number.

Brooke let out a small groan while listening to the music that was currently blasting out of Peyton's stereo. It had been a long day and all she wanted to do was go home and go to bed. "P. Sawyer this music sucks!" She frowned, digging into her bag when she heard her phone ring. "Hello?"

"Brooke?" Taylor's frantic voice said on the other end. "Brooke, Haley doesn't happen to be with you, is she?" Brooke reached over and turned the radio down, receiving a slap on the hand from Peyton.

"Don't touch that!"

Brooke ignored Peyton's comment and pressed her phone up against her ear. "What? Taylor, what are you talking about? She was home with you."

"She was," Taylor gulped, "but see, I left her alone for like 20 minutes while I went to the store to get some stuff and I came back and now she's gone."

"She's gone!" Brooke yelled, startling Peyton in the driver's seat. "What the hell did you say to her?"

"I didn't say anything!" Taylor yelled back, sinking down to the floor in the hall. "All I said was something about facing your fears and then I left."

Brooke sighed heavily and quickly glanced out the window when Peyton came to a stop at a red light. She gazed at the Tree Hill Police Department before snapping her fingers. "Taylor, I'll call you back." Ignoring her sister's protest, Brooke hung up the phone and unbuckled her seatbelt. "Peyton, let me out here."

"What?" Peyton asked in confusion as Brooke began to open the door. "Brooke what are you doing?" Brooke waved her off and quickly got out of the car and stuck her head in through the window.

"I have to do something, I'll get my stuff later on, okay?" Peyton nodded, still deeply confused as to why her friend suddenly got out of the car. She watched Brooke run across the street and run into the police department.

Brooke ran through the doors and nearly knocked into two officers on the way in. She ran down the corridor and practically slammed into the front desk, startling Nancy. "Hi, do you know if my sister is in here? Probably visiting Nathan Scott?" She drummed her fingers on the desk and anxiously waited for her answer.

"Yes, she came a while ago," Nancy started but stopped when Brooke took off down the hall, her cheerleading skirt flailing all around.

"Whoa, were are you going?" The same guard that led Haley into the room asked her. Brooke stopped in her tracks and tried to catch her breath.

"My sister is here visiting Nathan Scott and I have to get her before she does something she regrets," She explained breathlessly, leaning up against the wall, still trying to catch her breath.

The guard sighed and motioned for Brooke to follow him. "Thank god someone came for her, she's really letting him have it."

"Oh god," Brooke mumbled, rushing along with the guard into the room. She winced when she heard the loud screams coming from her sister.

"Because of you I'm ashamed of my life!" Haley screamed, buckets of tears falling down her cheeks. Nathan sat there in silence, stunned at the words coming out of the tiny girl on the other side of him. She rested her head on the table and began to sob.

The guard pointed to where Haley was sitting and Brooke quickly ran over, bending down next to Haley and putting her hand on Haley's back. Haley sat up in fear and looked at Brooke through her teary eyes.

"Come on, baby, let's get you home." Brooke whispered, standing to her feet and trying to get Haley to do the same.

"No," Haley shook her head and did her best to squirm out of Brooke's grip. "I have to tell him how he ruined my life."

Brooke shook her head and placed her arm around Haley's stomach and attempted to lift her up out of the seat. "No you don't. Just come home and it will be okay."

"It won't be okay, Brooke," Haley sobbed, pushing Brooke's hand away. "He ruined my life," she cried, staring straight back at Nathan. "You ruined my life."

"I think he knows, baby," Brooke whispered, gesturing towards the shocked look on Nathan's face. "Now come on, let's go."

"No!" Haley yelled, again startling the other people in the room. Brooke gulped and tried grabbing Haley when she stood up. Haley pushed her back and crawled onto the table, resting on her knees. "You ruined my life." She yelled, banging on the glass repeatedly. Brooke watched in horror as Haley pounded her fist onto the glass separating the two. She wrapped her arms around Haley's waist and tried to pull her down, but Haley dug her nails into Brooke's wrist and she immediately let go. "I'll never be the same again because of you," she sobbed, continuing to bang on the glass.

Brooke motioned for the guard to come over and she closed her eyes while he quickly removed Haley from the table, despite the kicking and screaming coming out of her. Brooke watched him take her down the room and out the door before staring back at Nathan. Nathan looked up at her and instantly broke out into a smirk. He motioned for her to pick up the phone and she snatched it off the table.

"You should really put a leash on that thing."

"Fuck you Nathan," she spat, slamming her fist onto the table, staring at his piercing blue eyes. "Fuck you."

Brooke slammed the phone down and quickly ran out of the room and followed Haley's screams down the hall and back into the main entrance. The guard looked up at her and smiled sadly, getting up from the seat so Brooke could sit down next to her. "Haley?" Haley ignored Brooke and started to sob into her knees, her body rocking back and forth. "Haley," Brooke said again, placing her hand on Haley's shoulder. Haley shrugged her off and wiped her tears with the back of her sleeve.

"I want to go home." She whispered, staring down at the floor. Brooke nodded and stood up, holding out her hand for Haley to take. Haley reached up for it and allowed Brooke to pull her to her feet before enveloping her in to a tight hug. She held onto Brooke for dear life and made no intention of letting go.

**xxxx**

"I found her," Brooke said, walking into the house with Haley attached to her hip.

Taylor got up from the couch and ran over to the two of them "Oh thank god." She mumbled, throwing her arms around Haley. When Haley didn't return the hug, she pulled back and saw she was still holding onto Brooke's hand for dear life. "Are you okay?"

Haley sniffled and shook her head. "No," she whispered, letting go of Brooke's hand and walking over to the couch, curling herself into a ball. Taylor sighed and exchanged a worried glance with Brooke before walking over to Haley.

"What's wrong?" Taylor asked, bending down and placing her hand on Haley's shoulder. Haley immediately flinched and sat up straight.

"Don't touch me!" She yelled, crawling over to the opposite side of the couch and getting to her feet. "Just leave me alone," she cried, breaking down into tears again. Brooke bit her lip and watched Haley run up the stairs.

"What happened, Brooke?" Taylor asked, her face plastered in concern. Brooke walked over to the couch and flopped down next to Taylor, putting her head into her hands.

"She went and saw Nathan and it just triggered all the memories she had of when he tried to hurt her and now she's just a complete mess." Brooke whispered, staring down at her feet. Taylor let out a small gasp and placed her hand over Brooke's and squeezed it gently.

"Should we leave her alone then?"

"I don't want to," Brooke said sadly, wiping the stray tear the fell down her cheek, "but I think it's best for her if we do." Taylor gave her a small smile and patted her hand before getting up off the couch.

"Yeah," she whispered, staring at Brooke, who was trying her best not to cry. "How was your thing today?" Brooke stood up and shrugged.

"It was fine," She said quickly, walking over to the stairs and trying her best to ignore the agonizing sobs Haley was letting out from upstairs. "Tay, I have to do something, I can't sit here and listen to that."

"I know," Taylor sighed, walking over to Brooke. "But she wants to be alone and if that's what she wants we have to respect that. I know it's hard to listen to her cry like that, but Brooke, there's nothing we can do."

"Yeah," Brooke whispered, nodding sadly at Taylor. "I've had a long day so I think I'm just going to head to bed."

"Okay. It's going to be alright, you know." Taylor reassured her, hugging her tightly before Brooke headed upstairs.

It took all of Brooke's strength to stop her from marching right into Haley's room and holding her tightly. Haley's door was half open which made Brooke creep over and peer into the room, her heart sinking at the sight in front of her. Haley was curled up in the middle of her bed with Mr. Waffles held close to her chest. She sobbed and sobbed until Brooke couldn't listen anymore. She turned around and headed down the hall into her room and fell onto the bed, trying to hold in her own tears.

After at least 3 hours of listening to Haley cry, Brooke had finally managed to fall asleep after Haley's heart wrenching sobs died down into small ones. She rolled over onto her side and opened her eyes for a split second to see what time it was. Just as she was about to drift off to sleep, she heard Haley yell in the next room.

"Brooke! Make him stop, please! He's going to hurt me! Brooke! Please help me, please."

Brooke immediately shot up in bed and launched herself onto the floor and quickly ran into Haley's room, trying to push past the screams coming from her sister.

"Haley," She said, turning on the bedside lamp and sitting down on the bed. She saw Haley was still asleep and shook her gently to wake her up. "Haley, wake up."

"Brooke make him stop!" Haley screamed tossing and turning in the bed before shooting up in bed at Brooke's touch. "Brooke, he's going to hurt me." She sobbed, sitting up in bed and throwing herself into Brooke's arms.

"He's not going to hurt you baby," Brooke whispered, holding Haley closer and gently rocking her back and forth. "He's won't hurt you, I promise."

"No," Haley cried, digging her nails into Brooke's back. "He's going to come after me when he gets out of jail, I know it. He's going to do it again, Brooke, don't let him hurt me!"

Brooke rubbed her hand up and down Haley's back and gently brushed the hair out of her face. "Haley, listen to me. He will never hurt you again, understand? He won't be coming back for you. It's all over now."

"No it's not. He's going to ruin my life again. I know it. He'll do it when he gets out, he'll hunt me down and do it, Brooke, he'll do it."

"He won't," Brooke whispered into her ear, kissing her on the top of her head. "I won't let him hurt you, baby. Don't you worry."

Haley sniffled and quickly took her left hand and wiped her eyes before placing it back on Brooke's back where her other hand lay. Brooke continued to rock her back and forth in hopes of the cries to stop. But when Haley continued to cry, Brooke held her tighter and listened to the sobs that racked every inch of Haley's small frame.

"Is there anything I can do?" Brooke asked, hoping there was at least one thing she could do to calm Haley down.

Haley sniffled and rested her head on Brooke's chest. "Hold me tighter," she whispered, shutting her eyes.

"What?"

"I said hold me tighter," she whispered again, bringing her hands back around and placing them in her lap. Brooke held her tighter and rested her head on top of hers. "That's better, I feel much safer."

"Good," Brooke smiled, continuing to rub her hand up and down Haley's back. "Anything else I can do?" Haley pulled back a little and nodded.

"Promise me something?"

"Anything."

"Promise you'll never leave me?" Haley asked shyly, anxiously awaiting Brooke's response. She wiped her eyes and smiled when Brooke shook her head.

"I promise baby," Brooke whispered, smiling back at Haley. Haley snuggled back into Brooke's arms and grabbed Mr. Waffles from behind her and brought him to her chest. Brooke raised her eyebrows and leaned her head back against the wall. "Is Brooke a bed?"

"Yes," Haley giggled in a nasal voice, resting her had back on Brooke's chest. "At least for tonight she is." Brooke laughed slightly and held on to Haley as she slipped underneath the covers.

"Okay, only for tonight," Brooke told her, wrapping her arms back around Haley. "Are you going to be okay now? No more nightmares?"

"No more nightmares now that you're here," Haley yawned, closing her eyes in hopes of getting some sleep tonight. "Night, Tigger."

"Night, baby," Brooke whispered, reaching over to turn off the light. She shut her eyes and thought about the new day tomorrow, hoping Haley could forget about this horrible night she had just experienced.

* * *

**Now I know, the whole Emily thing seemed rushed and confusing, but It'll be explained more later on. Please, please tell me what you think.**


	26. Making a deal with the devil

Sooooooooooorrrrrrrrrrrrrry. I won't say anything until the end :)

* * *

"Don't you just love the last day of school?" Brooke cheered as she made her way into school. "I mean, this is our last day of being juniors. Next year we're going to be ruling the school be telling everyone what to do." 

Peyton rolled her eyes right along with Haley and tried to block out Brooke's excited squeal. "Brooke, I don't think I've ever seen you this happy to be in school. Usually by now you're bitching and complaining about the studying you didn't do."

"How much cheering sucked the night before," Haley continued, laughing at Brooke's unamused face. "Why Haley didn't do your homework for you, why Peyton's band t-shirt doesn't go well with her jeans."

"You said that?" Peyton asked Brooke with her eyebrows raised. Brooke's eyes widened and she gently punched Haley in the shoulder for spilling something like that.

"I didn't say that exactly," Brooke defended, giving her best friend a sweet smile. "All I said was that the band t-shirt you were wearing last month or so didn't go well with the dark jeans you were wearing. Dark and dark don't sit well with pale ass people like you, Goldilocks."

"Brooke, that's not what you said," Haley started to say before Brooke threw her hand in front of her mouth. Peyton gave Brooke a look and started to tap her foot. Brooke laughed nervously and pinched Haley on the back of the neck, letting her know she had a big mouth.

"Don't listen to her, Peyton. She's got this weird thing where she likes to make up stories, mainly about me dissing your outfit, and then blow them way out proportion and then sometimes she gets me into trouble with the person she's just told and it just gets way out of hand. We're getting a second opinion on her condition so for now you'll just half to ignore the munchkin, okay?" Brooke blew out, trying to catch her breath after her long sentence. Peyton blinked a few times, shaking her head to get her back to reality.

Haley stared at Brooke with a surprised look on her face. "I think that is the biggest piece of crap I have ever heard in my life." Peyton laughed and nodded her head, patting Brooke on the shoulder for her good effort.

"Brooke, I really don't care what you think about the way I dress. I know you don't like it, but I do."

"If you didn't care then why would you let me make up some lame ass story as to why my sister, who is walking on a thin line now, told you that?" Brooke asked in disbelief, throwing her hands up in the air. "Those are like 75 words I'll never get back. I could have inhaled and exhaled at least 5 or 6 times in that period I spent making up that story."

"Don't be such a drama queen," Haley told her, rolling her eyes. Peyton laughed along with Brooke, who pretended to be amused before slapping Haley on the shoulder again. "Will you stop hitting me!"

"Stop making fun of me then!" Brooke shot back, sticking her tongue out. It was now Peyton's turn to roll her eyes as she watched the two sisters make faces at each other, hitting each other on the arm once in a while.

"Children!" Peyton said, having enough of their childish antics. She stepped in between the two just as Haley was about to hit Brooke again. "Can we just finish this last day of school in peace?"

"Tell Brooke to stop hitting me!"

Peyton sighed and turned to Brooke. "Stop hitting Haley." Haley smiled triumphantly as Brooke let out a gasp, staring at her best friend in shock.

"Tell Haley to shut her big mouth," Brooke said, crossing her arms. Peyton let out another sigh and turned to Haley.

"Haley, keep your mouth-"

"Big mouth," Brooke corrected with a fake cough. Peyton gritted her teeth and turned back to Brooke, gesturing for her to shut up.

"Just shutup, okay?" Peyton said, turning around in frustration when Brooke tapped her on the shoulder. "What?"

"What! That's not what I told you to tell her. I told you to tell her that I said to shut her big mouth. Instead of telling her what I told you to say, you went ahead and told her to shutup. I don't remember hearing the words shut and up coming out of my mouth, Peyton!"

"I get the point, I'll shutup." Haley said, rolling her eyes. Peyton threw her hands up in the air and stepped forward, leaving the two James girls to stare each other down.

"Peyton, tell Haley stop looking at me like that."

"Like what?"

"Like that," Brooke pointed out, copying Haley's facial expressions. "That's how you're looking at me. Messenger Peyton," she snapped her fingers, motioning for Peyton to come over. "Tell her to stop looking at me like that."

"What?"

"Tell her!"

"Brooke!" Haley groaned, "this is so stupid! I can hear what you're saying, we don't need Peyton to dictate for us."

"You're right," Brooke sighed, patting her friend on the shoulder. "Sorry Peyton." Peyton smiled and nodded her head, patting Brooke on the head. "Do you forgive me?" Haley coughed and Brooke quickly corrected herself. "Us?"

"I suppose," Peyton sighed dramatically before laughing. She held out both her arms as the three of them linked together with one James girl on each side. They walked down the hall slowly, staring at the few students scattered throughout. "You know, you guys are like my bitches. I could totally sell you to some of these guys over here."

"Peyton!" Brooke laughed in amusement, nudging her friend with her hip. "You are not selling me to anyone. I don't care how hot they are or how much they're willing to pay."

"Brooke, I was only kidding. You're priceless, and trust me when I say that. Priceless." Peyton said, nudging Brooke back with her hip. Brooke smiled widely and rolled her eyes when she saw the new girl, Anna, staring at them.

"I think we should sell you to Anna, Peyton." Haley said with a giggle. Brooke nodded and looked at Peyton's shocked face. "I've seen the way she looks at you in gym class. She wants to tap that ass and get with it."

"Haley," Brooke said, shaking her head. "We don't say things like that. That's only if you're a black male living in the 90's." Haley nodded in embarrassment, and turned away. "So what do you say, P. Sawyer? Staring bid at $25 dollars?"

"Brooke don't you dare," Peyton hissed, watching with wide eyes as Brooke smiled deviously and made her way over to Anna. "Brooke!"

Brooke waved her off and tapped Anna on the shoulder, plastering a smile over her face. "Hi, Anna. What's up?" Before Anna could reply, Brooke nodded and smiled again. "Great. Do you have any money on you?"

"Um, like 50 bucks or so."

"Perfect!" Brooke clapped, turning back around to Peyton with a wink. "For that 50 bucks you can go on a date with my best friend Peyton. She's charming, funny, and an animal in bed." Peyton's cheeks turned a shade of magenta right along with Anna's.

"Wow," Anna finally choked out, glancing at Peyton with a smile. "I do love the curls on her. I'll take her."

"Great, great," Brooke smirked as Anna dug through her purse, taking out the money and handing it to her. "Thanks. She'll meet you around 10, in your f-ing dreams." Anna stared at her wide eyed as she took off down the hall with Peyton and Haley in tow. She let out a small sigh before breaking into a grin, anticipating her dream tonight.

"I am going to kill you!" Peyton yelled once her and Haley caught up with Brooke. "Has anyone told you how stupid you are? Don't go around making people question my sexuality! For all you know, Anna could actually think I'm gay."

"Sorry," Brooke whispered, not thinking about what could happen in the future with Anna. She pushed the money into Peyton's hands and sighed. "Here, you keep the money then."

"Thanks," Peyton grinned, stuffing the money into her back pocket. Haley laughed as the three of them linked arms again and started to make their way to wherever they wanted. No one went to class the last day so they had no intention of going either. "Can I buy you ladies some wonderful breakfast from the cafeteria?"

"I think I'll pass," Haley said, breaking out of Peyton's grip. She spotted Claire outside and started to walk towards the courtyard. "I'll see you guys later, okay?"

"Where's she going?" Brooke whispered to Peyton, watching as her sister made her way outside and sat down next to Claire. Peyton shrugged and tugged a reluctant Brooke along with her.

"I don't know, Brooke, just leave her alone." Peyton said, sighing when Brooke stopped and gazed out the window. "Come on."

"No, stop." Brooke mumbled, releasing her arm from Peyton's grip. "Something's not right, something's going to happen."

**xxxx**

"Hey," Haley whispered, sitting down next to Claire outside. Claire looked up and smiled, a black and blue bruise right under her eyes. "What happened to your eye?"

"The same thing that happened to your stomach," Claire whispered, making Haley self consciously drape her arm over her stomach. Haley did her best to give the blonde a sympathetic smile, but it turned into a frown.

"How come he hit you?" Haley asked quietly, wondering if she was to get an answer from Claire. Haley found it hard to believe that she was being nice to her. Just a few weeks ago she went out of her way to make her life a living hell.

Claire sighed and glanced down at her feet. "Because I finally told the police what he does. They arrested him and he's going to be in jail for a year or so."

"That's good," Haley said with a smile while breathing out a sigh of relief. With both Nathan and Christian locked behind bars she felt safer. "At least he can't hurt anyone for a while."

Just as Claire was about to say something, Theresa walked behind the two and cut in. "Claire, we heard about your brother, sorry to hear about him being in jail. It looks like Tutor Girl has a thing with sending cute guys to the big house."

Haley bit her lip and tried to ignore the obnoxious laughter coming from behind her. Claire stood up to her feet and grabbed Haley's arm, pulling her up to a standing position. "Thanks, Theresa. Come on, Haley, let's go over there."

"Aw, but I wasn't done talking to Tutor Girl," Theresa said with a fake smile. She pulled Haley away form Claire and looked at her smugly. "Look, Tutor Bitch, remember how I said you made a big mistake the other day when you slapped me in the face?"

"Vaguely," Haley gulped, looking back between Claire and Theresa. Theresa glared at her and she quickly nodded her head. "Yes, yes I do."

"Good," Theresa smiled, "because I am going to pay you back. And since it's the last day of school, I won't get into trouble for kicking your ass."

Haley let out a gasp when Theresa pushed her backwards. Claire tried to stop her, but Theresa pushed her too. Brooke, who had been watching from afar, started to march over when Peyton pulled her back.

"Brooke don't," Peyton said, keeping a firm grip on her best friend's arm. "Going over there will only make things worse."

"But if I don't go over there Theresa will hurt her." Brooke retorted, trying to get out of Peyton's grip.

"You have to let her fight her own battles some day," Peyton told her empathetically, "and that some day is today." Brooke sighed heavily as Peyton dropped her arm with a smile.

"You're going to hurt me in front of everyone?" Haley squeaked, a chill going down her spine when Theresa nodded menacingly. Claire watched on, feeling helpless in the situation.

"Claire, do me a favor and go get Bevin for me, I want her to see me kick Tutor Girl's ass."

"Her name is Haley," Claire snapped, pushing Theresa away from Haley. "And why don't you go and get Bevin yourself. You have legs too."

Theresa's eyes bugged out of her head in shock at Claire's outburst. "Claire, are, are you standing up for her?" When Claire nodded, Theresa rolled her eyes and pushed Haley to the ground, receiving looks from the various students scattered throughout the courtyard. "What are you going to do about it?"

When Theresa stepped over Haley, Haley grabbed her ankle and managed to get her on the ground. "How do you like it?" She spat, glaring right back at Theresa. Theresa gasped in surprise and tried to pull her ankle out of Haley's hands.

"Let me go, you psycho!" Theresa yelled, tugging to get her ankle free. When she did, she stumbled to get to her feet, only to have Haley tackle her from behind. More and more students, including Brooke and Peyton gathered to watch the 'fight'.

"I used to be so afraid of you," Haley said through gritted teeth, pinning Theresa to the ground and sitting on top of her. "But now that I look back on, I realize there was nothing to be afraid of. You're nothing but a fake, pretentious bitch that makes people feel bad to make themselves look good."

"Tutor Girl, let me go right now," Theresa seethed, trying her best to get Haley off of her. When Haley didn't budge, she brought her leg up to kick her in the back, but failed miserably.

"This is for all those times you made me feel like a worthless piece of crap," Haley said, breathing heavily right before delivering a punch to the cheerleaders face. Many people gasped as Theresa yelped, watching Haley rise her fist up again, "and this is for all the times you sucked up to my sister."

Brooke watched with her mouth hung open in surprise as her quiet, shy, little sister repeatedly punched and slapped one of her former friends. Everyone seemed to be in shock that Tutor Girl would do something as outrageous as going after one of the most popular girls in school.

After about 2 minutes of punching, Haley let out a scream as Bevin came to her friends rescue, throwing her off Theresa. Bevin lifted a shocked Theresa to her feet and wrapped her arm around her waist tightly. "It's about time," Bevin muttered, dragging a cursing Theresa away, leaving everyone that witnessed the beating to clap.

Brooke and Peyton both ran over and looked at Haley with wide-eyes. "Haley," Brooke said, lifting her up off the ground and giving her a hug. "I am so proud of you!" Brooke beamed, laughing at Haley's embarrassed face. "I can't believe you just kicked Theresa's ass."

"That was awesome, Hales," Peyton agreed with a huge smile on her face. She was glad she held Brooke back otherwise she would have just seen a heated argument between the two cheerleading captains. "This is definitely the best last day of school ever."

"Come on, Rocky, let's go find Theresa and rub it in her face." Brooke squealed, pulling a still embarrassed Haley along with her. "Then we can call Taylor because this is like a defining moment in your life and she would love to know you stood up for yourself and kicked that bitch's ass."

**xxxx**

"Aw, don't cover it up," Brooke said with a smirk, walking into the girls bathroom and watching Theresa rub concealer all over her face. "Black and blue really suits you."

"Shutup," Theresa snapped, throwing the makeup into her purse and taking out some lipgloss before applying some to her bare lips. "You know, I've had it just about up to here for you two."

Brooke walked up to the cheerleader and looked at her in confusion. "What the hell are you talking about? And I'm glad Haley finally stood up to you, you've had that for a long time coming." Theresa rolled her eyes and placed the lipgloss back into her back before turning around to face Brooke.

"Listen, Brooke," Theresa snapped, startling Brooke a little bit. "I'll make you a little deal, okay?" Brooke raised her eyebrow and waited for Theresa to continue. "I'll leave Haley alone, if you-"

"If I what?" Brooke asked in a low voice. A smile broke out upon Theresa's face, signaling she was going to enjoy the next two sentences coming out of her mouth. Brooke sighed and motioned for her to go on. "If I what, Theresa?"

"It's simple really," Theresa told her with a grin. "I want full captainship of the squad. And, I also want you off the squad next year."

"Fine," Brooke said without hesitation. If giving up cheerleading was all it took to get Theresa off her sister's back then she was going to do it. "I'm done with cheerleading anyways."

"Good, good." Theresa said, the large grin still spread out upon her lips. "But that's not all." Brooke took a deep breath, grabbing onto the sinks for support after hearing the other end of Theresa's deal. "Take it or leave it, it's your sister's fate."

**xxxx**

Taylor grimaced as she attempted to make dinner tonight for her, Brooke and Haley. She decided to make pasta, Brooke's favorite, with a side of macaroni and cheese, Haley's favorite. It had only been a few days since she became their legal guardian and was trying make them feel more at ease by letting them know she can do this. Brooke came in the front door a few minutes later, shuffling her feet towards the kitchen. "Well, if it isn't the big bad senior."

"Yeah," Brooke whispered, sitting down at the table. "Where's Haley?" Taylor turned around and pointed to the stairs.

"She's upstairs, why? You two didn't get into another fight and you made her walk home again, right?' Taylor asked in a rush, prompting a laugh from Brooke, who shook her head. "Thank god."

Brooke sat at the table and twiddled with her thumbs, contemplating whether or not to tell Taylor about Theresa's proposition. "Tay, if I told you something, you promise not to get mad?"

"Okay," Taylor said cautiously, turning the macaroni off and walking over to Brooke. Brooke took a deep breath and decided to just let it all out.

"I'm leaving Tree Hill," she blew out, feeling like a whole weight had been lifted off her shoulders. "I'm going to go stay with Grandma in Chapel Hill and finish school over there." Taylor's eyes widened, before she burst into a fit of laughter. "I'm serious, Taylor."

Taylor immediately sobered up and she studied Brooke carefully. "What? Why would you want to leave Tree Hill? What the hell did you do?"

"Nothing!" Brooke exclaimed, running a hand through her hair, "nothing. I, I have to do this for Haley. Theresa, the girl who makes it her life goal to ruin our little sister's life, told me if I left Tree Hill, she'd leave Haley alone for good."

"Oh, Brooke," Taylor sighed, sitting down next to her. "You honestly don't believe that, do you? Give me this Theresa girl's number, I want to have a word with her."

"No, no." Brooke said, shaking her head. "Just, just let me do this okay? Trust me, Theresa may be a conniving little bitch, but she's not a liar. When she makes a promise, she keeps it."

Taylor shook her head from side to side and tapped her fingers on the table. "And what if she doesn't Brooke? Huh? What are you going to do then when you're 4 and a half hours away? You can't exactly walk home. You're not going, I don't care."

"Taylor," Brooke said in frustration, glaring at her sister. She was going to pull the whole 'you can't tell me what to do,' thing, but she realized Taylor could tell her what to do. "I have to go. It's for the best."

"Brooke," Taylor started, standing up with Brooke. They stood face to face, just inches apart. "I  
forbid you go to."

"If you want what's best for Haley, then you'll let me go. My bus leaves at 10 tonight." Taylor sighed and threw her hands up in the air. "If you love me, you'll let me go."

"Brooke," Taylor sighed, staring at her little sister sadly. "Fine, then go ahead." Brooke smiled and hugged her tightly.

"Thanks, Tay," she whispered, pulling herself out of the embrace. "Just do me a favor and don't tell Haley I'm leaving Tree Hill, okay? I want to find the right time to tell her."

Taylor sighed heavily and pointed to behind Brooke. "You just did," she whispered, staring at Haley sadly. Brooke's heart skipped a beat and she slowly turned around to see Haley stood there with a shocked expression on her face.

"Haley..." she started to say, letting out a heavy sigh when Haley shook her head and turned around, running back up the stairs.

* * *

Yep. So, my original plan was to finish this whole story by the time I left for College. So unless I can pull 8+ chapters out of my ass by Wednesday, it's not gonna happen. So this is going to be the last chapter for a bit, just until I get into the whole College Mode. And I wanted to be evil and leave it as a cliffhanger ;)

And, I 'm getting way tooo far ahead of myself, but I'm planning on doing a sequel set 4 years into the future with the return of Nathan. It's going to me a lot more dark and depressing and sadder than this one. You can count on that. Anyways, thanks again with all your support with this story, it really means a lot

Kristin


	27. Leaving town alive

**Okay, I'm finally back...sort of! College..is different and it's taking a bit of time to get used to it and all the piles and piles of work. Here's the chapter, it's nothing i'm too proud of because it didn't go anyway I wanted to. I just got so fed up and just decided to post it.**

* * *

Haley sat on the edge of her bed, listening to Brooke's words ring through her head over and over. _"Just do me a favor and don't tell Haley I'm leaving Tree Hill, okay? I want to find the right time to tell her."_

She sighed heavily and picked up Mr. Waffles from beside her, smiling sadly at his old, beat up face. His right eye was practically falling out and his color had faded heavily since she had gotten him for her 5th birthday. She held him closer to her chest and drifted off into the memory, trying to blink back her tears.

"_Haley! Haley, wake up!" Brooke cried, jumping onto her sister's bed and shaking her from side to side. "Today's your birthday!"_

_Haley let out a small groan and sat up, rubbing her eyes before throwing her hands up in excitement. "I'm 5!" She yelled, giving Brooke a big grin. Brooke nodded with her own smile and gave her a hug._

"_Just like me!" Brooke told her as the two got off the bed in their semi matching care bear pajamas. Brooke insisted on having wish bear ones while Haley opted for bedtime bear ones. They had both gotten them on Christmas last year and practically lived in them the weeks that followed. "I want to give you my birthday presents first!"_

"_Okay!" Haley said, following Brooke over to the corner of their room. Brooke let go of her hand and motioned for her to turn around while she opened the closet door. "Should I close my eyes?"_

_Brooke nodded her head and waited for Haley to shut her eyes. When she did, Brooke rummaged through the closet and took out the big birthday bag she picked out weeks ago with her mother. "Okay, open!" _

"_It's so big!" Haley exclaimed, her eyes widening at the present in Brooke's arms. Brooke placed it on the floor and watched in excitement as Haley dug her hands through the bag, pulling out the pair of pajamas Brooke had gotten her. "Birthday bear pajamas!"_

"_Yeah! I thought it would be cool to give them to you on your birthday, birthday bear, your birthday, I'm so smart!" Brooke giggled, taking the pajamas and placing them on the floor next to her. "There's something else in there too, but hold on one second." She ran over to the bed, and climbed up the ladder, grabbing her teddy bear before hurrying back over to Haley. "There, I want Ms. Waffles to see!"_

"_Okay," Haley said, digging her hands into the bag and pulling out a teddy bear, resembling the one in Brooke's hand. "It looks like Ms. Waffles!"_

"_I know!" Brooke said, practically shoved the bear in Haley's face. "His name is Mr. Waffles, it's Ms. Waffles husband! Isn't that so cool? We have matching teddy bears."_

"_Who are married!" Haley finished, hugging the bear tightly to her chest. "Thank you so much, Brookie! This is definitely the best birthday present I've ever had." _

"_But, Hales, you haven't seen your other birthday presents yet? By the way, Taylor just gave you a card she made in art. How cheap is she?" Haley giggled and shifted Mr. Waffles into her other arm and hugged Brooke with her other. _

"_It doesn't matter because you gave it to me and you're my bestest friend in the whole wide world. And we'll always be together with our married bears and grow up and share the same room!"_

"_Yeah!" Brooke nodded, making Ms. Waffles kiss Mr. Waffles, before placing her arm around Haley's shoulder and leading her out of the room. "We'll be together forever."_

"Haley?" Brooke knocked loudly, snapping Haley out of her daze. Haley sniffled and wiped her eyes, wishing Brooke would go away soon. "Can I come in?"

"No," Haley called out, rolling her eyes when the door opened and Brooke walked over to the bed. "I said no."

Brooke sighed and sat down next to her, looking at Mr. Waffles with a smile on her face. "Do you remember when I gave that to you? Ms. Waffles was so happy to finally have a husband," she laughed, hoping Haley would do the same. "Whatever happened to her?"

"They divorced when you sold her at a yard sale and she went home with the little girl and her Garfield doll. He hasn't been the same ever since." Haley said coldly, listening to Brooke sigh again. Brooke chewed on her bottom lip and realized she couldn't talk her way out of the current situation.

"Haley, I didn't mean for you to find about me leaving like that. I guess, I guess I just wanted to tell you when time was right."

"And when was that? When you were boarding your bus?" Haley said flatly, avoiding the sad look on Brooke's face.

"Not at all," Brooke corrected her, "not at all. I just wanted to take the time to figure out what I was going to say, I wanted to explain to you why I was leaving. I didn't want you just to hear the end of the conversation."

"Yeah well I did. So, it's a bit too late for that now, huh?" Haley snapped, standing up from the bed and walking over to the window. Brooke a hand through her hair and took a deep breath, trying to regain control of the situation.

"Baby, don't make this difficult for me."

"Don't call me that." Haley snapped harshly, making Brooke wince. She got off the bed and walked over to Haley, placing her hand in Haley's shoulder. "Just say what you have to say and leave."

"Can you just listen to me for one second? I'll tell you why I'm leaving then hopefully you can understand where I'm coming from, okay?" Brooke said, hoping Haley would agree to it. Haley shrugged her shoulders and mumbled something.

"Whatever, it's not like you're going to change your mind anyways."

"Haley," Brooke yelled in exasperation, "Stop with the attitude right now. If you just sit down and hear me out, I'm sure you'll be thanking me once you know the truth." Haley rolled her eyes and motioned for Brooke to go on before heading back over to the bed.

"Fine, Brooke, what's the truth? Why are you leaving Tee Hill, I mean what is so bad that you have to go and leave?" Haley asked, anxiously waiting the answer.

"It's just," Brooke sighed, trying to regain her train of thought. "All the drama here is just too much for me to handle. Do you get what I'm trying to say?"

"I guess," Haley mumbled, shrugging her shoulders, "but what the hell does that have to do with me? Do I cause you drama? I'm sorry I didn't realize that."

Brooke quickly shook her head and looked at Haley. "No, no, no. I did not say that, I did not say you cause me drama. All the drama with Lucas, Theresa, school, it's just everything, it's just too much for me to handle. So I talked to Grandma and she said I could stay with her for senior year."

"You're leaving because of the 'drama' with Lucas and Theresa? I think that's the stupidest thing that's ever come out of your mouth, Brooke. You're lying to me."

"I am not lying to you-"

"That's bullshit!" Haley finally yelled, fed up with her sister all together. She just wanted the truth and she wasn't sure she was going to get it. "What's the real reason you're leaving? Are you pregnant?"

"No!" Brooke exclaimed, her eyes widening in shock. "No, I am not pregnant. God, Haley, why would you think that?" Haley rolled her eyes and Brooke was close to snapping and telling her the real truth. "Can you just, can you just trust me on this? In the end it will all work out."

"Yeah, okay," Haley said with another eye roll, prompting a loud groan from Brooke. "You know what? I don't even care anymore, just go."

"Haley, please don't be mad at me. Please just take my word for this, when have I ever let you down?" Brooke said quietly, trying her best to bite her tears back, but if Haley kept going the way she was, the tears were going to fall soon.

Haley swallowed past the lump forming in her throat and nodded her head. "Have you ever let me down? Yeah, Brooke you have, but for some reason, I don't think you know that. Just go, okay?" It's easier that way."

"Brooke?" Taylor said, coming into the room, saving Haley from Brooke's possible fury. "Peyton's downstairs, she wants to talk to you."

"Can you tell her to come back later?" Brooke asked, sighing when Taylor shook her head. "Will you talk to her for me? She won't listen," she asked as she past by Taylor before leaving the room and heading down the stairs to see Peyton.

Taylor sighed and forced a smile when she caught Haley's gaze. Haley rolled her eyes and flopped down on the bed, groaning when Taylor joined her. "Are you okay?"

"Never been better, why?" Haley said sarcastically, staring down at her feet. Taylor bit her lip and realized this was going to be more difficult than she originally thought. Brooke was a stubborn girl and there was no way Taylor would be able to get her to change her mind.

"Look, Hay, I don't want Brooke to leave either, but you know how she is. Once she's got her mind made up about something it's hard to change it."

"That's the thing, if you don't want Brooke to leave then make her stay. You're her guardian, Taylor, you can tell her not to go, you can make her stay." Haley told her, gnawing on her bottom lip. She sighed when Taylor shook her head, telling her she couldn't.

"I can't Haley, I tried, but she won't listen. She's too stubborn for her own good. And no matter what I say, she won't change her mind. She'll only listen to you, and if you can't change her mind, then I don't think anyone can." Taylor said sadly, her heart breaking when she saw the tears fall down Haley's cheeks. "You'll still have me, Hay."

"I know," Haley whispered, resting her head on Taylor's shoulders and sniffling. "But you're not Brooke." Taylor wrapped her arms around Haley and did her best to ignore those words, even though they hurt so much.

"Yeah," Taylor whispered back, rubbing her hand up and down Haley's back. "I know I'm not Brooke, but at least I'll be here no matter what, right?" Haley sighed at the bitterness in her sister's voice and looked up at her.

"I didn't mean it like that," she said quietly, watching Taylor nod and put a smile on her face. "It's just that, everyone I love always leaves." Haley admitted, finally breaking down in tears. "Mom and Dad are gone, Mike's gone, but that's fine by me, you left for like 2 years and Brooke's leaving. What is wrong with me? Everyone always leaves me, doesn't anybody love me?"

Taylor was caught off guard by Haley's breakdown and she took a few seconds to take it all in. "Oh Haley, honey, of course we love you. It's just, our lives are so different from each other and sometimes I know I get wrapped up in my own problems, but I'm always going to be there for you, Hay. Like it or not, things are going to change and it may be hard to get used to at first, but at least we have each other, right?"

Haley sniffled and rubbed her eyes before looking back at Taylor. "Right," she whispered, reaching over to give Taylor a hug around her shoulders. "I never really got a chance to thank you for defending me against Christian, I'm sure he would have killed me."

"Don't say that, Haley." Taylor told her, wincing at the pure thought of that guy ever laying a hand on her sister again. "But, it's no problem, what else are big sisters for?" Haley shrugged and smiled, forgetting about Brooke leaving for a few seconds.

"The bruise finally healed, do you want to see?" Taylor nodded her head and watched Haley lift up her shirt and point to where the bruise used to stretch across her abdomen. Taylor noticed a semi-large red line across Haley's stomach.

"Hay, what is that?"

"What is what?" Haley asked, pulling down her shirt and staring at Taylor in confusion. "What's what?"

Taylor debated whether or not to bring it up again, but she decided to let it go for a while, not wanting to upset Haley more than she already was. "Nothing, I must have been hallucinating or something. But that's great about the bruise, I told you it would only take a matter of time."

"Yeah," Haley said quietly, taking a deep breath. "Do you think Brooke will change her mind?" Her eyes began to water again and Taylor pulled her into a hug, letting her own tears fall down her face. "I can't lose her, Tay."

"Me either, Hay, but to be honest, I don't think she'll change her mind. I'm sorry," Taylor whispered, closing her eyes, trying to hold on tight to her trembling sister. "She's doing this for you, Hay. She really thinks that if she leaves, this Theresa girl will leave you alone."

"What?" Haley asked, pulling out of Taylor's embrace. Taylor gave her a confused look before throwing her hands over her mouth.

"She didn't tell you why she was leaving? Shit," Taylor cursed, rolling her eyes at her big mouth. She stared at Haley's shocked expression and sighed, biting her lip so she couldn't do anymore damage.

Haley stopped the tears flowing from her eyes and got off the bed, ignoring Taylor's protest. She grabbed Mr. Waffles off the bed and threw him across the room, not wanting anything from Brooke anymore.

"Haley-"

"Leave me alone," Haley muttered, staring absently out the window. She rolled her eyes when Taylor didn't move and turned back around to her. "Please?" Taylor nodded her head and sighed, wondering what she was going to do with the situation.

**xxxx**

"Look, Peyton, if you came over here to try and convince me to stay, then hold your breath," Brooke told the blonde as she flopped down on the couch. Peyton rolled her eyes and joined her.

"Brooke, you can't leave," Peyton simply said, not knowing anything else to say. Brooke groaned and threw her arms up in the air, already getting fed up with her best friend.

"I have to Peyton," she told her harshly, "it's the only way Theresa will leave Haley alone."

"So that's it then? Some cheerleader tells you she's going to stop harassing your sister if you leave town and you're going to believe her? What about Haley, Brooke? What's going to happen to her?" Peyton asked, her tone just as harsh as Brooke's.

Brooke sighed and turned away from Peyton, biting back her tears. "I don't know."

"You don't know?" Peyton exploded, giving Brooke a disappointed glance. "Brooke, she needs you. And for you just to pack up and leave is lame. You're the only one Haley has, and if you go, the poor girl is going to be so heart broken she's going to be like she was when your parents died."

"Peyton-"

"Don't Peyton me! Jesus Christ, Brooke, if you were my sister I'd slap you right across the head for doing this. When you leave, Haley is going to be so depressed she won't know what to do with herself. And can you honestly sit there and tell me that you're okay with it?"

"I'm not okay with it," Brooke yelled back, "do you think I want to go and leave her here? I don't Peyton, I really don't. But I don't have much of a choice, do I? If you were my friend you'd understand."

Peyton bit her lip in frustration, trying not to reach over and strangle the brunette. "That's the thing, Brooke, I don't frigging understand. It's hard to comprehend why you would leave your sister just because Theresa made a deal with you. That's like selling your soul to the devil and quite possibly the lowest thing anyone could do."

"She's going to keep her promise."

"You don't know that!" Peyton yelled once again, startling Taylor as she came down. "Taylor, will you talk some sense in to her? Everything I say goes in one ear and out the other."

Taylor put her hands up and shook her head, still thinking about Haley. "Don't drag me into this," she whispered, walking past the two girls. "I hope you're happy, Brooke. Haley's back to shutting people out again. I," Taylor started to say, ready to explode, but backed off, knowing she would go too far. "Forget it, I can't look at you right now."

"See?" Peyton said, prodding Brooke on the shoulder. "Look at all the people you're hurting if you leave. Think about Haley, she's your baby, and if you leave her, who knows what will happen."

Brooke swallowed past the lump forming in her throat and put her head in her hands, sniffling softly. "I know," she cried, looking back at Peyton through watery eyes. "That's why I need to ask you something."

"What?" Peyton asked quietly, watching Brooke get up from her seat and pace around the room. "Come on, Brooke, what?"

"I need you to look after Haley for me." Brooke whispered, walking back over to her friend and sitting back down next to her, leaning closer to her. "I know what she'll do and you need to make sure she doesn't shut people out and walk around with her head down."

"If you know that, then why would you still go?"

"Please, Peyton, please." Brooke pleaded, smiling slight when Peyton finally nodded her head. "Thank you so much," she said, throwing her arms around Peyton.

"No problem," Peyton whispered, her own eyes filling up with tears. She was too busy thinking about Haley that she forgot she was losing her best friend. "I'm going to miss you so much, Brooke."

"I'm going to miss you too, P. Sawyer." Brooke whispered, falling silent as the two began to cry in each other's arms. "So, you're going to try really hard, right? The last thing I want is for Haley to be sad."

"She's going to be sad, Brooke," Peyton told her slowly, "no matter what. But Haley's like my little sister, and if she needs another big sister, then I'm here for her."

"Thanks," Brooke whispered, looking at her friend in confusion when Peyton got up and headed for the stairs. "Pey, where are you going?"

"I'm going to talk to my little sister," Peyton whispered, turning away to avoid the expression on Brooke's face. "I'm guessing she needs someone right now."

**xxxx**

"Hales?" Peyton called out, pushing the slightly ajar door open and stepping into the room. "Are you okay?" She spotted Haley sitting in the corner, fiddling with the hem of her shirt. "Haley?"

"Go away," Haley mumbled, not bothering to look up at the person. When she recognized the voice, she gazed up at the blonde, wondering why she was here. "Oh, I didn't realize it was you."

Peyton laughed slightly and joined Haley on the floor, tugging at a stray curl when Haley turned away. "Look, I know I'm probably the last person you want to go talk to, but I understand where you're coming from. Brooke's just being lame."

"She's being retarded," Haley whispered, continuing to fiddle with the hem of her shirt. "Did you tell her not to go?" Peyton nodded slowly and sighed at the hopeful look on Haley's face. "And?"

"No luck," Peyton told her quietly, looking at Haley sympathetically. "Sorry, Hales, I tried. At this point it's up to her. Or you, have you tried talking to her?"

"It's no use," Haley said, staring down at her hands which were rested in her lap. "If she won't listen to you or Taylor, what makes you think she's going to listen to me?"

Peyton shrugged her shoulders and patted Haley on the leg. "It's hard to explain. With you, it's different. It's like she's a different person around you, and when she talks about you, her face lights up and she just gets this glow to her."

"She talks about me?" Haley whispered, in somewhat surprise. A smile spread across Peyton's face and Haley blushed slightly. "Oh, I didn't know that. What does she say?"

"Everything," Peyton told her proudly. It always made her happy to see Brooke talk about her sister so lovingly, even when she never showed it. "Although it never looked like it, your sister admired you in so many ways possible."

Haley looked up at Peyton and stared at the smirk she had on her face. "Why are you smiling like that?"

"Because," Peyton laughed, enjoying making Haley squirm. "I don't get why you act like this is news or anything. Brooke is really in love with you, Hales."

Haley wrinkled her nose. "That's sort of disturbing." Peyton rolled her eyes and hit her lightly on the foot. "I know, but if she loves me, then why is she leaving me?"

"She thinks it's the best thing for you," Peyton said, the smile disappearing from her face. "And who knows, it could be. Maybe it's a chance to break out on your own and be your own person, not just Brooke's little sister like everyone knows you as."

"I'm fine with that," Haley muttered, lying through her teeth. "Okay, I'm not, but still. I just don't get why she would believe Theresa and agree to this deal. I mean, I don't care if Theresa picks on me, I've gotten used to it I just ignore it."

"Like I said, Brooke just wants what's best for you. And right now, it looks like she thinks this is the best option for her. Everyone knows it's not, but it's so hard to convince Brooke into staying. She's a pain in the ass when it comes to things like that. Hales, just tell her how you feel."

"It won't work," Haley admitted, breaking down in tears. "Even if I tell her everything, it won't change her mind."

"Everything? Are you not telling her something, Haley?" Peyton questioned, staring at Haley in concern. "Hey, what's going on with you?"

"A lot of things," Haley said, wiping her eyes with the back of her sleeve. She had problems no one, not even Brooke, knew about. "A lot of things that no one knows, a lot of things that can destroy my life."

"Haley," Peyton stood up in concern, "what's going on?" Haley turned away and curled herself into a ball. "You're scaring me, Haley. What the hell is going on?"

"It hurts," Haley whispered, tears falling down her cheek. "They hurt so badly, Peyton. They're everywhere, up and down, all around."

Peyton stood there, trying to think of something to say. She didn't know what to do, nor was she following Haley's train of thought. "Hales, what are you talking about? What hurts?" Haley gulped, realizing she had gone too far.

"Nothing, I was, I was just being stupid."

"I don't think so," Peyton told her, heading for the door, "I'm going to get Brooke up here, maybe whatever you're hiding will make her stay."

"No," Haley yelled, jumping to her feet and running after Peyton. "Please don't." Peyton sighed as Haley latched onto her arm and started to cry. Peyton gave her a hug and listened to the small girl, trying to figure out what she was hiding.

**xxxx**

"I still don't understand why you're leaving," Taylor whispered, staring at Brooke scornfully. Brooke sighed and sat down on Taylor's bed.

"It's for the best," Brooke whispered back, contemplating if it was for the best or not. "I'd rather not have you yell at me right now, do it over the phone another day."

"Fine," Taylor grumbled, pulling Brooke off the bed and giving her a hug. "If you change your mind, you know what to do."

"I won't, but thanks." Brooke said, pulling back. "I'm just going to grab my suitcase and then attempt to say goodbye to Haley. Granted, she probably won't talk to me, but it's worth a try."

Taylor nodded and watched Brooke disappear out of the room, hoping Haley would at least say goodbye to her. She hadn't heard a word out of her since this afternoon and was starting to get a little nervous when Haley had locked herself in the room.

Brooke slowly made her way to her room, going over in her head what she was going to say to Haley. She pushed her door open and stopped in the doorway, her eyes widening at the sight. Haley was sitting in the middle of her bed with all of Brooke's clothes strewn out over the bed and on the floor. Brooke glanced at the now empty suitcase on the floor and sighed.

"You're not leaving me," Haley whispered, noticing Brooke in the doorway. Brooke stepped further into the room and began picking the clothes up off the floor and throwing them back into the suitcase.

"Nice try," she said with a light laugh, looking straight at Haley. "But the plans are already made and I can't turn back now."

For what felt like the hundredth time that day, Haley's eyes began to water and she turned away from her sister. "Forget about the plans, just stay. Stay for me, please?"

"So, no you're talking to me?" Brooke said a bit harshly, sitting down on the heap of clothes piled on the bed. "Earlier you told me to leave you alone and now all of a sudden you're begging me to stay?"

"I was just mad," Haley admitted, sniffling slightly. "You caught me off guard and I was mad that you were going to wait and tell me you were leaving. I don't understand why you wouldn't just tell me straight."

Brooke sighed and took Haley's hands in her own. "Because, you're the last person I wanted to hurt. And I wanted to find a better way to tell you, I wanted to prevent from hurting. But Lucas told me you can't prevent pain, and I guess he was damn well right."

"Brooke, I'm not a little baby, I can handle things on my own. I don't need you to protect me from the big bad world or cushion me from things." Haley said, chewing on her bottom lip. "I just, I just wish you could treat me like one of your friends and not some baby that constantly needs to be watched."

"I'm sorry then," was all Brooke could manage to say. She thought all along she was just protecting Haley and was having a hard time taking it all in. "I thought that's what you wanted. But look on the brightside, I won't be here anymore to do those things."

Haley groaned and pulled her hands away and set them on her lap, cracking her fingers now and then. "I didn't mean it like that."

"Then what did you mean by it? I was just trying, trying to…"

"Replace mom?" Haley finished the sentence quietly. Brooke went to say something but Haley quickly cut her off. "I never asked you to do that."

Brooke's eyes started to water and she got off the bed, throwing the remaining clothes in the suitcase, not bothering to fold them. "Well I'm sorry then, I thought that's what you wanted. I'm leaving soon, so say what else you want to say to me, you've only got a half an hour left."

"Brooke, don't get mad at me," Haley whispered, watching Brooke wipe her eyes quickly. "I don't have anything else to say." She paused and watched Brooke zip the suitcase up, throwing it into the corner of the room. "Don't leave."

"What?"

"Don't leave me, please," Haley said, finally breaking down into tears. "I'm begging you, Tigger, don't leave me here all alone."

"You're not going to be alone. You'll have Taylor and Peyton, and Karen, you'll have Karen." Brooke told her, trying her best to hold in her tears. She went back over to the bed and sat down, sighing when Haley got up.

"They're not you, Brooke!" Haley yelled, running her hands through her hair before groaning in frustration. "Do you really trust Theresa? Yeah, Taylor told me why you're leaving and I think it's pretty pathetic."

"I'm doing this for you!" Brooke yelled back at her wits end. "I'm doing this for you, baby. Don't you want to go through one day of school without Theresa trying to make your life a living hell?"

"I don't care about that, okay? So what if Theresa has it out for me, I learned to ignore it. You don't need to go, I can live with it. Please, I'm begging you, please stay with me."

"Haley," Brooke started to say before her own tears started to fall down her face. "I have to go, please just understand it."

"So this is it then? You're just going to go, just like that?" Haley said, sighing heavily. "Brooke, I can't do this. I'm not going to sit here and let you leave, don't make me chain you to the bedpost."

Brooke laughed slightly tried to dry her tears with her hands. "I wouldn't put it past you. Look, can you just give me a hug and let me go?"

"No."

"You're not going to give me a hug?" Brooke asked in somewhat shock. "Don't do this, Haley, not now. Please, just give me a hug, give me something."

"You want something?" Haley asked, walking out of the room and returning seconds later with a bag in her hand. "Here," she spat, throwing the bag in Brooke's hand. Brooke pulled the object out in confusion and held it in her hands.

"You're giving me Mr. Waffles?"

Haley sniffed back the fresh tears forming in her eyes. "You're going to need a friend once you move away. I know he's just a stuffed animal, but I figured he'd remind you of me, incase you ever forgot me."

Brooke held Mr. Waffles close before setting him down on the bed. "Baby, I would never forget you." She walked over to Haley and hugged her, despite Haley's earlier wishes. "But Mr. Waffles? You can't sleep without him, I can't take him."

"Yeah, well, I can't sleep without you either but we all have to adjust, right? Just take him, Brooke, he's all yours."

"Okay," Brooke whispered, staring at the old teddy bear on the bed. "I'll take good care of him and sleep with him every night."

"You better," Haley said sharply, crossing her arms and surveying the room. "He likes the left side of the bed better than the right, just remember that."

Brooke laughed and made a mental note of it. She found it cute that Haley had made up a specific side for him to sleep on. "Before I go, I just wanted to tell you one thing." Haley looked up and waited for her to go on. "No matter where I am, and no matter what, you'll always be my baby sister and I'll always love you, even if you're going to hate me for the rest of your life. If you ever need to talk to me, you can call me day or night, whenever, I don't care. I'll still be your big sister even though I live 4 hours away. And I'll miss you so much, I can't even tell you."

Haley bit her lip and turned around on her heel, heading for the door. "Haley," Brooke called out after her. "I love you." Haley started to cry again and ran out of the room, leaving Brooke to collapse on the bed with Mr. Waffles wrapped tightly in her arms.

Fifteen minutes later, much to Haley's dismay, it was time for Brooke to leave. She had spent the last 10 minutes on the phone saying goodbye to Peyton and the last 5 saying goodbye to Taylor. She took a deep breath knocked on Haley's door before walking in.

Haley looked up from the floor and rolled her eyes when Brooke stood in front of her. Brooke bent down to get eye level with her sister. "I'm leaving now."

"Bye," Haley said with no emotion in her voice. Her eyes were puffy from crying and her nasal voice matched Brooke's. "Have a nice life."

"I'm not going to leave with you mad at me," Brooke said quietly, trying her best not to get frustrated with how stubborn Haley was being. "Can I just have a hug? That's all I want, one hug and then I'll leave you alone."

Brooke stood up to her feet and watched Haley fiddle with her thumbs before she got up to her feet. She held out her arms and waited for Haley to fall into them. But when she didn't she mumbled a goodbye and headed for the door.

"Brooke," Haley called out after her, running over to the doorframe and practically jumping into Brooke's arms. Brooke dropped her suitcase and hugged her tightly, not wanting to let go. "I'm going to miss you so much."

"I know, I'm going to miss you so much too."

"I love you," Haley sniffled, her voice muffled by Brooke's shoulder. "I love you so much. I love you. I really love you, Brooke."

Brooke laughed and rubbed her hand up and down Haley's back. "I know you do. And I love, love, love, love, love you so much too. I'll always love you no matter how far away I am, just remember that."

"I will," Haley whispered, tightening her grip on her sister. Brooke held her tighter and jumped when Taylor's voice interrupted them.

"Brooke, your cab's here," Taylor told her sadly. She watched Brooke nod and whisper some last minute things into Haley's ear. "Hales, come on, let her go." Brooke tried to pull back but Haley's nails dug into the back of her neck.

"No," Haley sobbed, putting Brooke in a death grip. "You're not leaving me, you can't leave me. I won't let you leave!"

Tears fell down from Brooke's cheek as she sighed, desperately trying to release herself from Haley's grip. "Baby, come on, I have to go."

"Please, don't go!" Haley said, sobbing harder when Taylor wrapped her arms around her waist and pulled her away from Brooke. "Let me go!" She yelled, squirming about and letting out a screech when Taylor held her tighter. "Don't go! Please, don't freaking go, Brooke. You don't understand how lost I'll be without you."

The horn outside beeped and Brooke reluctantly picked up her suitcase. "I'll call you when I get there." Taylor winced as Haley flailed about in her arms, wishing she could have done something to stop Brooke from leaving.

"Brooke, don't!" Haley yelled as Brooke turned around and headed for the hall. "Taylor let me go!"

"No, Hay, she's gone, okay?"

"No she's not gone! She's just outside." Haley told her, stomping on Taylor's foot. Taylor cursed and let Haley go, sighing when Haley ran out the door. "Brooke!" She yelled once she got outside, running over to the cab when Brooke was just going to get in.

"Haley?"

"Don't go, please. Please? I'll be a good girl, I'll sleep by myself, I won't bother you to tuck me in, I'll stay in my own room when I have a nightmare. Please, stay! I love you too much to let you go."

"I love you too, but baby, I have to go. It's too late." Brooke gave Haley a quick kiss on the forehead and got in the car, despite Haley's whimpering. Taylor finally appeared as if on cue and caught Haley as she fell back into her arms.

"It's okay, I know, I know," Taylor whispered soothingly, rocking Haley back and forth as the cab pulled down the street and out of sight.

"She's gone," Haley whimpered, burying her head into Taylor's shoulder. "She's really gone."

"I know, Hay," Taylor whispered, biting back her tears as Haley pulled out of her grip. Haley took a deep breath before running down the opposite side of the street. Taylor sighed and sat down on the curb with her head in her hands.

Haley turned the corner and rushed up the street, hoping Peyton would be home as she banged on her door. A tired looking Peyton opened the door and looked confused as Haley stood on her porch sobbing out of control.

"Hales?" Peyton asked her in concern. She looked surprised as Haley fell into her arms.

"She's gone, Peyton, and, and I don't know what else to do."

Peyton sighed and held her close, stroking her hair. Haley's tears began to stain her shirt, but she didn't care. All she cared about was getting this girl through the night.

* * *

**Yeah, I know you probably all think it's retartded that Brooke really left. But I've got the rest of the story planned out and if I changed it, I wouldn't have a story anymore. Anyways, this is where it's going to get depressing and more secrets come out and all that fun stuff so I hope you stick around. Please tell me what you think. Thanks :)**

**Kristin**


	28. A house doesn't make a home

**Okay, not too happy with this chapter, but it's the only think I could think of. Just sit tight, Brooke will be back soon enough. I'm not going to say when and where, it's a surprise!**

_Waking up from this nightmare  
How's your life, what's it like there?  
Is it all what you want it to be?  
Does it hurt when you think about me?  
And how broken my heart is_

Haley scribbled aimlessly on the notebook in front of her, letting out a heavy sigh when the words stopped coming out of her mouth. It had been two and a half weeks since Brooke left and she had done nothing but sit in her room all day and mope. Both Peyton and Taylor tried their best to get Haley to venture out once in a while, but they both failed, hoping she would come around one of these days. But from the looks of things, it didn't look like it.

"Brooke, I don't know," Taylor's distant voice said from down the hall, making Haley roll her eyes. Taylor had been trying to get Haley to talk to Brooke for a week now and it just wasn't happening. "Well, how do you think she is, Brooke?"

Haley got off the bed and shut the door with her foot, jumping back on the bed and groaning when the door flung open. "Don't you knock?"

Taylor rolled her eyes and reached out the phone for Haley to grab. "Somebody wants to talk to you."

"Tell that somebody I don't want to talk to them," Haley muttered, pushing the phone away from her. Taylor sighed and took a deep breath before forcing the phone into her sister's hands. "I don't want to talk to you," Haley grumbled into the phone, hanging up before Brooke could say anything.

"Like it or not, you're going to have to talk to her sometimes." Taylor told her, taking a seat on the edge of the bed. Haley shrugged her shoulders and shook her head, indicating she didn't think so. "Haley, it's the summer before your senior year, you can't just sit in your room and mope all day."

Haley snorted and nodded her head. "Oh yes I can. And I will, and there's nothing you or Peyton can say to make me change my mind." The phone rang again and Haley grabbed it from beside her. "I said I don't want to talk to you."

"Haley, will you just listen to me?" Brooke said quickly, trying to get her point across before Haley hung up the phone.

"Fine," Haley mumbled, "Two minutes." Taylor let out another sigh before getting off the bed, taking one last look at Haley before leaving the room, figuring she would like to be alone.

"Look, I'm sorry I left and I'm sorry that you're mad at me. I miss you," Brooke said, her voice trailing off. Haley looked up at the ceiling and tried to think of something to say. She was silent for a minute, coming up short. "Hales?"

"Yeah well, you shouldn't have left if you were going to miss me," Haley snapped, proud of herself for coming up with something to say so quickly. She heard Brooke sigh on the other end and felt no remorse. "Is there any point to this call?"

On the other end, Brooke ran a frustrated hand through her hair and held herself back from slamming her head against the table. "I just wanted to see how you were. Taylor told me you weren't doing too well."

"Well next time I'll be sure to tell her to lie," Haley said sarcastically, rolling her eyes at the current conversation. "Your two minutes is up."

"Fine, I'm not going to talk to you when you're being a little bitch," Brooke said, hanging up the phone this time before Haley could reply.

Haley threw the phone at the end of the bed and glanced around the room, longing for Mr. Waffles. She knew giving him to Brooke was a bad idea and regretted it the instant she drove away. She looked up to see Taylor standing in the doorway with her arms crossed. "What?"

"What?" Taylor asked in disbelief, walking into the room. "What? Haley, you don't have to be such a bitch to her! She's calling to make sure you're okay."

"Leave me alone, Taylor."

Taylor threw her hands up in the air, ready to strangle Haley at any moment in time. "Oh my god, Haley, I, I just want to strangle you! You're being so stubborn and it's pissing me off." Haley rolled over, trying to avoid any more possible lectures. "She's gone, okay? And she might not be coming back. You have to realize you're not the only one who lost someone, Haley. Incase you forgot, she's my sister too."

Haley felt the tears well up in her eyes and she did her best to bite them back. Taylor sighed, realizing she had gone too far and sat down on the bed. "I'm sorry."

Don't be sorry, Hay," Taylor said, smiling slightly when Haley rolled back over to face her. "You just miss her. But you have to realize I feel the same way you do. You can't shut me out like this, otherwise I won't be able to help you."

Haley sat up and took a deep breath, fiddling with bed covers. "It's hard. And when I'm ready to talk about it, I'll let you know."

Taylor nodded, taking what she could get. "It's a nice day out, are you up for going to the beach?" Haley shrugged her shoulders and fell silent. "Oh come on, Hay. It'll be fun!"

**xxxx**

"I look ridiculous," Haley stated, staring at herself in the mirror. She had on a white bikini with pink and purple polka dots on courtesy of Taylor. She covered herself up with her hands and blushed when Taylor swatted them away.

"You do not," Taylor told her, standing behind her in a black bikini, leaving little to the imagination. "You look hot."

"I do not," Haley whispered shyly, turning away from her reflection. "You can see things," she squeaked, covering herself up again. Taylor rolled her eyes, glancing at the red line which stood out on Haley's pale stomach. Haley caught Taylor's look and sighed. "Including this stupid scratch I got from the neighbor's cat. He was about to run into the street, so I grabbed him and he scratched me with his hind leg."

"Oh," Taylor blinked, cursing herself for thinking it was something else. "It looks fine. Can we go now? If we don't leave now the traffic will be hell."

"Fine," Haley said, grabbing a shirt from the drawer and throwing it over her head. Taylor rolled her eyes and Haley shrugged her shoulders. "I'm not going out of the house in this bikini!"

"Let's just go," Taylor said, grabbing Haley's arm and leading her out of the room.

The ride to the beach was pretty quiet, with the occasional conversation about the traffic and how hot and sticky it was. Haley looked out the window, feeling the wind whip through her hair, trying to take her mind off Brooke and the conversation they had earlier.

When they were younger, they used to beg their parents to take them to the beach. Their parents were always too busy of course, but the one day they did was like heaven to them. It was the summer before 2nd grade and Brooke was 7 and Haley was 6 and a half. They didn't stay too long because it ended up raining but those two hours they spent at the beach were probably the happiest two hours in their short lives at the time.

"_Do you want to go in the water, Brooke?" Haley asked, staring wide-eyed at the ocean in front of her. Brooke put down her shovel and shrugged, standing up to her feet._

"_You don't want to do that," Taylor told them with an evil glint in her eye. Their parents were currently passed out on their chairs, both trying to get some sort of tan. "Don't you know what lives in the water?" Brooke and Haley looked at each other before looking back up at Taylor. _

"_What?" Brooke asked slowly, glancing at the ocean in back of her before looking back at her sister. "Is it something bad?" Taylor nodded slowly, thoroughly enjoying scaring her little sisters. _

"_It is, Brookie. It's called the water monster and it likes to eat little girls like you two." _

_Haley gasped and gazed at her sleeping parents. "Will, will it come up on shore and try to eat us?" Taylor shook her head and the younger girls let out a sigh of relief. _

"_Let's just stay and play in the sand then, Hales," Brooke told her sister, bending back down and picking up the blue shovel in front of her. Haley knelt down in front of Taylor and held the sand bucket as Brooke poured the sand in._

"_Good idea girls," Taylor told them, smirking to herself and checking one last time to make sure her parents were still asleep. She bent down and placed her arm around Haley's waist, lifting her up off the ground. Brooke watched in confusion as Taylor threw Haley over her shoulder and began to walk towards the water. "I love you and everything Haley-bub, but the water monster is getting hungry and we don't want him to come up on shore and try to eat innocent people."_

"_What?" Haley screamed as she realized what Taylor was going to do. "Put me down!" Brooke too realized what was going to happen and ran up to catch up to Taylor and Haley._

"_Taylor, what are you doing?" Brooke asked, trying her best to keep up with Haley. Taylor laughed and tightened her grip around Haley. "Are you going to feed her to the water monster?"_

_Haley let out a small whimper and began to kick Taylor so she could try and get down. "Don't, I'm too young to die!" _

"_Taylor, don't you dare!" Brooke yelled as they got to the shore. "Put her down right now!" Brooke reached up and tried to pull Haley down by her legs. Taylor swatted her hands away and lifted Brooke up by her waist with her free hand._

"_Well, it looks like the water monster is getting 2 for 1 today," Taylor giggled, taking slow steps into the water, trying her best to keep a firm grip on her two squirming sisters. "Okay, who wants to go first?" She shifted Haley so her arm was now around her waist as she dangled the two girls just feet above the water. _

"_Stop!" Brooke cried, glancing down at the water. Taylor walked further and further our out until the water reached her knees. The water had reached up to Brooke and Haley's waist and they were holding on to Taylor's arm for dear life._

"_Don't drop us," Haley whispered in a shaky voice. _

"_I'm sorry, but I have to do it," Taylor told them in a serious tone. She waited for the big wave that was advancing towards them and threw her two sisters into it as it crashed down on them. She watched in amusement as the two little girls flailed about in the water, scared for their life._

"_I can't swim!" Haley said, desperate to keep her head afloat as the waves crashed down on them. "Help me!" Taylor's eyes widened, remembering how Haley had just started swimming lessons a week ago. Brooke grabbed Haley's arm and breathed out a sigh of relief when she could touch the bottom and stand up._

"_It's okay, I got you Haley," Brooke told her, pulling her towards her. "You can touch the ground, see?" Haley sniffled and clung to Brooke as her foot touched the sand below. They held onto each other as one last wave hit them, happy to be alive._

"_I'm sorry," Taylor said apologetically, lifting Haley out of the water and holding her in her arms. "I forgot you couldn't swim, Haley-bub." Haley wrapped her legs around Taylor's waist and wrapped her arms around her neck. "There's no water monster, I just made it up to scare you guys."_

"_You're a loser face," Brooke told her, sticking her tongue out and whacking Taylor on the leg. "I wasn't scared at all," she informed them as they made their way back onto land, Haley still clinging to Taylor._

"_Me neither," Haley told them in the best confidant voice she could muster. Taylor and Brooke both looked at her and started to laugh._

"_Then why are you still shaking?" Taylor asked, attempting to put Haley back down. Haley refused to let go and happy obliged the free ride back to their spot._

"_I'm freezing!"_

"Haley?" Taylor said, snapping Haley out of her daze. "We're here." Haley shook her head and glanced at Taylor in confusion. "What's up?"

"Nothing," Haley mumbled, "I was just thinking," she said as they got out of the car and walked over to the trunk to grab their stuff.

"About?"

"Stuff," Haley told her sister simply as she shut the trunk. Taylor sighed, realizing she wasn't going to get a better answer out of her just yet. They dragged their beach chairs behind them and carefully made their way over to a free spot, feeling the hot sand between their toes.

"Here?" Taylor asked, setting down her beach chair and cooler. Haley nodded and did the same, watching Taylor take off her cover up. When Haley didn't do the same, she stared at her with her hands on her hips. "Aren't going to take that thing off? You won't get much of a tan wearing a shirt."

Haley glanced down at the shirt and tugged at it gently. "I'm fine. Besides, I don't really tan anyways, remember? I was blessed with Mom's burning gene. And I don't want to spend the rest of the summer looking like a crab or whatever."

"Well look on the brightside," Taylor said, putting on her sunglasses and looking at Haley with a smirk. "You can get a job at Carl's crab shack and not wear the crab uniform. I mean you'll already look like one anyway. It could save you from sweating."

"Shutup," Haley said, rolling her eyes. "I don't see you getting off your ass and getting a job. We can't mooch off the money mom and dad left us for the rest of our lives."

"Like I said before, leave the money issue to me, okay?" Taylor told her sternly, not wanting to bring up the money issue. Their parent's did leave a large portion of money for them, where they got it Taylor didn't know, but she did know it would make them okay for a good 10 years of their lives. Their house was paid off, all of their cars were paid off and Mike was still taking care of the rest of the bills. Taylor never thought the last part was very important to mention and intended to keep her mouth shut about it.

"What, are you like a stripper or something?" Haley asked with a small giggle, wincing when Taylor leaned over and whacked her in the arm. "I'm kidding, god. Can't you take a joke?" Taylor rolled her eyes and let the warm sun beat down on her body.

"Taylor?"

Taylor sighed heavily and sat up when she realized that wasn't Haley's voice. She gazed at the male standing in front of her, blocking the sun. It took her a few moments to realize who it was before she jumped up and gave him a hug. "Ben? Oh my god, hi!"

Haley watched in confusion as the two exchanged another hug. She felt a tad uncomfortable with their display and let out a small cough. "Um, Tay?"

"Oh," Taylor said, sitting back down in her chair. "Ben this is my sister, Haley. Haley, this is Ben, he was the social worker involved with you know who."

"Nice to meet you," Ben said with a wide small. He held out his hand for her to shake and she reluctantly shook it. "I heard about what happened, Taylor, I'm very sorry." She gave him a small smile and shrugged it off. He could tell the subject was still touchy and decided to move on. "So, Haley, you're a lot older than I expected."

Haley rolled her eyes, figuring the way Taylor talked about her. It made it seem like she was 4 or 5 years old. "It's a most shock to people when they find out I'm a teenager and not a kid." She stood up to her feet and motioned for Ben to sit down in it. "I'm going to go for a walk, I'll you leave you two alone to talk."

"Hay, you don't have to," Taylor said, letting out a sigh when Haley waved her off and disappeared down the beach. "Watch out for the water monster," she called out with a giggle, laughing harder when Haley flipped her off. "So, what have you been up to?"

**xxxx**

Haley walked along the beach, weaving in and out of the people that were stretched across their blankets, desperate for a tan. She spotted a few people from school and quickly turned her head so they wouldn't notice her. Various couples were spread out across the beach, kissing each other and making goofy faces. She sighed, and stopped short when someone stepped in front of her.

"Well, well, well, if it isn't the girl that put my son in jail," Dan sneered, finding amusement in Haley's shocked expression. "What brings you here?"

"Dan," Deb hissed, getting up from their blanket and pulling his arm towards her. "How are you, Haley?"

Haley shrugged her shoulders and wished for the two of them to go away.

"I heard you threw another guy in jail, are you planning on doing this to anyone else anytime soon? I'd like to be the first to know." Dan snickered, ignoring the silent protests from his wife. "Okay, so maybe that Young kid wasn't your entire fault, but you had something to do with it, right?"

"Just leave me alone," Haley said, looking at him pleadingly. Deb sighed and did her best to pull Dan away, but he was just too strong and barely budged when he tried. "Please, just go away."

"And then your sister left too, right?" Dan went on, enjoying this immensely. Deb shook her head and watched the tears well up in Haley's eyes. "She moved away to get away from you, huh? Boy, Haley, that's got to be tough when your own sister can't be around you anymore."

"Shutup!" Haley yelled, finding herself slapping Dan across the cheek. "Don't ever talk about my sister again. You have no right, no right." Dan laughed and turned around on his heel, satisfied with himself.

"Haley, honey," Deb whispered, gently pulling Haley into a hug once Dan left. Haley tried to pull back but Deb had a tight grip on her. "It's okay, don't listen to him."

"It's not okay," Haley sobbed, "Brooke left to get away from me. I drove her away, it's my own fault she left."

"No, no, no." Deb told her soothingly, gently letting her go. "Haley, don't listen to Dan. He's one sadistic man and if you let him poison your mind then it's only going to make things worse." Haley sniffled a few times and wiped her eyes, leaving Deb to sigh as Haley looked like a lost little girl trying to find her parents. "Who are you here with?"

"Taylor," Haley whispered, looking back up at Deb.

"Come on," Deb whispered, holding out her hand for Haley, "I'll take you back to her." Haley reluctantly took it and followed the blonde woman as they slowly made their way over to Taylor.

"And so afterwards, I took some time off from work and wound up back here," Ben said, as Taylor listened contently, both unaware of the two standing in front of them.

"I think I have something that belongs to you," Deb said with a small smile. Taylor looked up and saw Haley and immediately shot out of her seat.

"Hay? What happened, honey?" She asked as Haley practically fell into her arms. "Deb, what happened?" Taylor asked the blonde once Haley didn't respond. Deb shook her head sadly and listened to Haley's small sobs.

"Why don't you just take her home," she told the younger blonde with a smile, not wanting to get into right then and there. Ben stood up and placed his hand on Taylor's shoulder as she held Haley close. "Just take her home," Deb said more firmly when she saw Taylor was going to say something.

Taylor nodded her head and watched as Deb disappeared into the crowed. "Haley, can you tell me what happened?" She asked once again, trying to loosen Haley's grip. Haley whimpered and held on tighter, leaving Ben to stare at her in confusion. "Okay, okay. Look, Ben, it was nice catching up with you again."

"You too," Ben said, grabbing the two chairs and cooler for Taylor seeing as Haley showed no intention of letting her go. "I've got them."

Taylor smiled and followed Ben into the parking lot thanking him as he loaded the things into the trunk. "Is she going to be okay?" He asked as Haley sat in the passenger side, her legs curled up beneath her and her head resting on the window.

"Soon enough," Taylor said with a small smile, hoping Haley was willing to tell her what happened once they got home. "Like I said, it was nice seeing you."

Ben nodded and gently gave the blonde a hug. "How about dinner? Friday night, around 8?"

"I'll be waiting," Taylor said with a wink, waving to him as he headed back for the beach. She got into the car and stared at Haley. "Can I get you anything?"

Haley slowly lifted her head up off the window and nodded at Taylor. "Yeah," she whispered, placing her legs on the floor. "Brooke."

**xxxx**

"It's the best I can do," Taylor said, handing the phone to Haley, who was lying on the couch, still clad in the bikini and long t-shirt. Haley sniffled and took the phone, listening to it ring as Taylor patted her on the head and left the room.

"Hello?" Brooke said on the other night, sending a chill down Haley's spine. "Hello?" Brooke asked once again when no one replied, just hearing steady breathing.

"Brooke?" Haley said finally, her voice cracking and her eyes filling up with tears again. "Hi." A smile graced Brooke's lips as she heard the sound of her sister's voice. She was happy that she had called back and wasn't mad at her for calling her a bitch.

"Hey, baby." She said, her smile turning into a frown when she heard the sniffles coming from the other line. "What's wrong?"

"I miss you," Haley whispered, ignoring Brooke's question.

"I miss you too," Brooke said, "but, what's wrong?" She asked, going back to her previous question. Haley sat there in silence, fiddling with the shirt and looking up at the ceiling. "Haley?"

Haley gulped and tried to choke back the sob that was forming in her throat. She hated herself for even thinking what Dan said could be true. "You didn't leave because you wanted to get away from me, did you?"

"Of course not," Brooke was quick to say, in disbelief that Haley would think such a thing. "Baby, that's not true at all. Who told you that?"

"No one," Haley whispered, glancing at Taylor as she sat down on the end of the couch. She brought her legs closer to her body so she would have more room. "If I asked you to come home, what would you say?"

"Haley," Brooke sighed, flopping down on the couch and running her hands through her hair. "Baby, you know I'm not ready to come home yet."

"Oh," Haley said quietly, snuggling up to Taylor for comfort. "Could you do me a favor? Will you send Mr. Waffles back? I need him."

Brooke laughed lightly and fiddled with the bear that was sitting beside her. "Sure. Are you going to be okay now?" It seemed like Haley's tears had subsided and she was hoping it was true.

"I don't know," Haley whispered, her voice cracking again. She managed to hold back her sob and sighed heavily as Taylor began to run her hands through her hair. "Can, can I call you before I go to bed?"

"Of course," Brooke said with a smile, picturing the look on Haley's face. "I love you, baby."

"I love you too," Haley said, looking up at Taylor. "Do you want to talk to Taylor?" When Brooke said yes, Haley held the phone out for Taylor. "She wants to talk to you."

Taylor nodded and gently took the phone from Haley's hands and continued to run her fingers through her hair. "Hey, Brooke."

"Hi," Brooke whispered, pausing for a minute. "Tay, she wants me to come home."

"Are you?" Taylor asked, her voice dropping into a whisper as she saw Haley close her eyes. "I'm not going to make you, but I think it would be best if you did come home. It's been two weeks, Haley needs her Brookie."

Brooke sighed heavily and bit her lip. "I can't come home, it's, it's too soon. No one down here knows who I am. No one knows about the crap with Lucas and Theresa, no one knows about mom and dad. And no one especially knows about the hell we've been through."

"That's great, Brooke." Taylor said, getting annoyed with the stubbornness Brooke was blessed with. "But think about Haley here, she's falling apart. Please, just think about it?"

"Okay," Brooke whispered, tears forming in her eyes. "I'll call you back later, I'm not promising anything."

Taylor hung up the phone and tossed it beside her, leaning her head back on the couch. Haley opened her eyes and looked up at Taylor hopefully. Taylor sighed and gave her the best smile she can muster. "She's going to think about it. But, she's not promising anything, Hay."

Haley nodded, hoping with all her heart Brooke would consider coming home and she waited patiently for that phone call, in hopes of Brooke's return home. And when she wasn't going to get that phone call, Taylor was going to be there for her, waiting with open arms.


	29. Pardon me while I burst

**I apologize for Haley's excessive crying..it's just the way I write her and I toned it down here I guess. But I just want to warn you, this chapter is going to get heavy and a little graphic. Just want to warn you.

* * *

**

Haley slammed her locker door shut after she threw her last book in there. It was almost time for winter break and she just needed to survive today and tomorrow and then she'd be out of school for a few weeks. 

She finally accepted Brooke's decision to stay in Chapel Hill and let go of the resentment she had towards her. But for a few weeks, their daily phone calls diminished and when they did speak, silence took place in most of the conversation.

"Forget it," Haley mumbled, as the bell rang, signaling the start of 3rd period. Last year she never dreamed of skipping a class, let alone the whole day, but her attitude towards school changed. She did exactly what Taylor predicted; she shut everyone out despite Peyton's attempt to get her to change her attitude.

Grabbing her bag off the floor, she headed towards the opposite end of her classroom and stopped short when she heard her name being called by none other than Peyton Sawyer. Jake was trailing right behind her and she couldn't help but roll her eyes.

"Haley, what are you doing?" Peyton asked, her eyebrows raised in wonder and slight astonishment. "Your history class is that way," she said, pointing behind her with her thumb. Jake nodded and tried to hold in his sigh, he had seen Haley run out of school a couple times last week.

"I'm going home," Haley answered simply, giving them a small wave and turning around on her heel, groaning when she felt a tug on her arm.

"I don't think so," Peyton told her, attempting to pull her towards her classroom. She was trying her best to keep Haley in tact, but her negative attitude was getting unbearable. "Hales, you can't skip, you have a midterm."

"Peyton let me go," Haley hissed, pulling her arm free and placing it down on her side. "Leave me alone, okay? I don't care what Brooke or Taylor asked you to do, but ignore what they said and just leave me the hell alone. I don't need anyone, I'm fine by myself."

Peyton and Jake watched as Haley took off down the hall, not bothering to look back at them once. "Don't," Jake whispered, grabbing Peyton's arm when she took a step forward to go after the brunette. "Just leave her alone, Peyton, there's nothing you can do."

"She's falling apart, Jake," Peyton whispered, her voice on the verge of cracking. "And we're just sitting here watching her break."

Jake sighed and gently rubbed his girlfriend's shoulders. "Someday, Brooke will come to her senses and get her ass back home. And if it isn't soon, you and I will take a road trip to Chapel Hill and drag her back. You in?"

"I'm in," Peyton said with a light laugh, placing a kiss on his lips. "But for now we have to get to class, we're already 10 minutes late."

**xxxx**

Haley sat in front of the TV in her pajamas, glad to be home rather than suffering in history class. When she got home, Taylor was gone and she was hoping she wouldn't come back until after she was really supposed to get out of school.

She flicked on the channels and finally settled on a soap opera, at least the drama and tragedy in her life wasn't as bad as some of the characters on the Young and the Restless.

"Oh, get over it," she said out loud, digging her spoon into the pint of chocolate chip cookie dough ice cream sitting in her lap. "He's gone and never coming back." She sighed and glanced at the picture of her and Brooke on the end table and bit her lip, thinking what it would be like if she was here.

Her heart skipped a beat as she heard the keys in the door jingle and the door come open, Taylor walking with Ben in tow. The two had been dating ever since the first date they had after they met at the beach. Haley liked Ben and thought he was a good guy, especially for Taylor.

"Um," Taylor blinked, trying to register why Haley was sitting on the couch. "What are you doing home?" She threw the keys in front of the picture and took her coat off, hanging it up next to Ben's on the rack. "Are you feeling okay?"

"Yep," Haley simply answered, placing another spoonful of ice cream into her mouth, relaxing again. "I didn't feel like going to school anymore so I came home."

"That's not good," Ben told her, exchanging a worried look with Taylor. Haley shrugged and kept her eyes on the TV. "How come you didn't feel like going anymore?"

"I just didn't, okay?" Haley snapped, receiving a glare from Taylor. "God, what is this, 21 questions?"

"It will be if you don't tell me why your ass isn't in school," Taylor said harshly, shutting off the TV, ignoring the protests from Haley. "This isn't like you to skip school, Haley, what's going on with you?"

"Nothing," Haley protested, standing up to her feet and putting the lid on the ice cream carton. She groaned when the couple followed her into the kitchen, hot on her heels. She threw the ice cream in the freezer and slammed the door shut, turning around only to have Taylor in her face. "A little close there, aren't we, Taylor?"

"What the hell is your problem?" Taylor asked, throwing her arms up in frustration. She was doing everything in her power to stop herself from reaching over and strangling her younger sister. "Ben," she sighed, turning around to face her boyfriend. "Can you give me some time alone with Haley?"

"Sure," he smiled and gave her a quick kiss on the cheek. "I have to get back to work anyways."

"Have fun," Haley called out after him, smirking as Taylor sent another glare towards her. "So, what do you want to do? We have the whole day to ourselves."

"You're going back to school," Taylor told her, "go upstairs and change back into your clothes, no, you know what? You can just go like that, I really don't care as long as your butt stays in school until you're supposed to get out."

Haley rolled her eyes and walked away, completely ignoring her sister all together. Taylor groaned and grabbed the phone, hastily dialing Brooke's number. She just hoped Brooke was at lunch and would answer.

"Hello?"

"I have a bone to pick with you, little sister," Taylor snapped, peering into the living room and watching Haley sit back down on the couch, flicking through the TV channels.

"What?" Brooke asked, after a minute of trying to figure out who was on the other line. "Taylor, I'm at school, can I call you back later?"

"Fine, just tell Haley she needs to go back to school before I kill her," Taylor told her seriously, drumming her fingers on the counter behind her.

"She's not in school?" Brooke asked incredulously, finding it hard to believe that Haley would skip school. "Haley doesn't skip school," she yelled over the noise in the cafeteria, "it's not like her."

"She does now," Taylor snipped, walking into the living room and shutting the TV off again. "Someone wants to talk to you," she said to Haley, shoving the phone into her hands and standing in front of her with her hands on her hips.

"Hello?" Haley asked, wondering where all the noise was coming from in the background. She watched as Taylor began to tap her foot out of impatience and motioned for her to stop so she could hear.

"Why aren't you in school?" Brooke asked, in disbelief that it was actually true. She got up from her seat and walked out of the café, breathing a sigh of relief that she could actually hear now.

Haley rolled her eyes and paused before answering the question. "I didn't want to be there anymore, so I thought I'd pull an old school Brooke and skip the rest of the day, what's wrong with that?"

"That's not good," Brooke told her with a sigh, moving away from the café entrance when people started to come out.

"Brooke, are you going to class?" Haley heard a female voice say.

"Yeah in a few minutes, I'm just talking to my little sister," Brooke said to the unrecognizable voice.

"You have a sister?" The girl questioned in confusion, making Haley laugh bitterly. Brooke nodded her head and motioned for the girl to away, slumping against the wall when she was alone again.

"Well that's great," Haley said bitterly, rolling her eyes. "You've been there for a while and they didn't know you had a sister? That's wonderful, Brooke, I'm really glad your new friends know you."

Brooke bit her lip and listened to the bell rang, debating whether or not to go to class or stay on the phone with a now very pissed off Haley. "Baby, I wanted to tell them, but then they would ask questions. No one knows me here, and you know how great it is? No one knows about Mom and Dad or Lucas and Theresa or-"

"Or me and Taylor," Haley finished harshly, ready to hang up any second. "Brooke, do you know what tomorrow is?" She asked in a whisper, dreading the school day ahead of her and the wrath of Taylor she was going to face once she hung up the phone.

"Of course," Brooke whispered back, trying to fight the tears that were forming in her eyes. She felt bad for not being there for Haley's birthday and Christmas even, but there was no possible way she could get home in time. "Listen, about tomorrow…"

"You're not coming home?" Haley asked in shock, collapsing down on the couch. She stared up at the ceiling and sighed heavily. "It's my birthday."

"I know it is," Brooke said sadly, running her hand through her hair and placing her hand on the top of her head. "But, it's just too much for me to come back, I am so sorry. I would if I could, but I have a huge project due after break and I need to get together with a few other people in the group. Haley, I really want to be there, but I can't, I just can't."

"Whatever," Haley snapped, "have a nice life," she finished bitterly, not bothering for Brooke's response. She hung up the phone and threw it across the room, ignoring the look on Taylor's face.

Taylor sighed and sat down on the edge of the couch, noticing the upset look on her sister's face. "What's wrong?"

"Forget it," Haley whispered, getting off the couch and walking up the stairs, leaving her sister dumbfounded and worried.

**xxxx**

She stared at her reflection in the bathroom mirror, almost daring it to speak to her. Her life was hard enough and with Brooke not coming home for her birthday was just the tip of the iceberg. Brooke wasn't coming back, she was never coming back and that was something Haley had to deal with.

"Damn it," She muttered, rolling up her left sleeve and staring down at her arm. And there the were. The scars, the tiny white scars that defaced her inner and upper arm. The scars that played a role in who she was today, the scars that reminded her how horrible her life was.

"_Cut,"_ The voice inside Haley's head hissed, begging to be kissed by the razor blade. _"You're worthless; no one wants you around anyways." _She quickly splashed her face with cold water and tried to drown out the voice, thinking back to the time when she first cut, weeks after her parents died.

_The blood rushed down her arm and Haley let out a loud gasp. She didn't know it was going to be this bad. She quickly grabbed the towel and pressed it against the wound, hoping the bleeding would suffice. _

_She didn't mean to cut her arm, just the thoughts of her parent's took over and she let the razor dance around her arm before she made a small incision just beneath her wrist. _

"_Ow," she whimpered, taking a deep breath and letting out a sigh of relief when the bleeding had stopped. She quickly threw the towel in the hamper and rolled her sleeve down so the cut was covered up._

_Down the hall, she could hear Brooke and Theresa laughing about whatever they were talking about. No one else was home and Brooke was the only one she could talk to about it, Brooke would help her through it with ease._

"_Brooke?" Haley whispered, knocking on the doorframe and self-consciously tugging at her sleeve. "Can I talk to you?"_

_Brooke exchanged a look with Theresa and threw down the magazine she was currently flipping through. "Can it wait, Tutor Girl? I'm busy and I don't have time to listen to your problems."_

"_But, I really need to talk to you. I did something stupid," Haley told her, on the verge of tears. Brooke had become cold and distant a few days after the funeral and she was hoping this phase would soon pass._

"_Well that's your own fault," Brooke hissed, getting up from the bed and grabbing Haley by the wrist, sending an enormous amount of pain through Haley's body. "Tell it to someone who cares."_

Haley couldn't take it anymore, she grabbed the razor and cut over one of her old scars, slumping to the floor and resting her head against the wall. She felt the blood ooze out of the wound and trickle down her arm and onto the white tiled floor. But she didn't care, she didn't care anymore and was going to sit in the bathroom all night.

Her face showed no emotion whatsoever, she was so used to the pain and stinging sensation that it gave her a rush, it numbed the pain she felt. Haley sighed and watched the blood ooze down her arm, leaving her in a trance like state.

Outside the door, Taylor was hoping to find Haley in there. She wasn't in her room and Taylor hadn't seen her all afternoon since the phone call with Brooke. "Hay, are you in here?" She called out before opening the door, "Haley? Oh my god," she gasped, when she saw Haley slumped in the corner, blood dripping down her arm.

"Jesus, what happened?" Taylor asked, rushing over to Haley's side and examining the wound where the blood was coming from.

Haley looked up at her sister with lost eyes, as if she didn't know where she was. "She's not coming home, Taylor," she whispered, feeling her arm collapse onto her stomach, staining her shirt red.

"Who's not coming home?"

"Brooke, she's not coming home for my birthday, she's never coming home." Haley told her, her voice devoid of any emotion. Taylor tried her best not to panic, but it was getting too much too handle when the bottom of her sister's yellow shirt turned red.

"Okay, we need to get you cleaned up," Taylor said, ignoring Haley's statement. "Up you go," she said, hoisting Haley to her feet and carefully leading her over to the toilet seat and gently sitting her down. "Sweetie, why did you do this?"

Haley shrugged and bit her lip when Taylor began to clean the wound with a wet towel, gently dabbing it in hopes to stop the blood. "It stops the pain."

Taylor ignored her and proceeded to clean it up, eyeing the red stained floor over in the corner every now and then. "Oh no, no, honey, it's bad, it doesn't stop the pain."

"It does," Haley sniffled, pulling her now bandaged arm towards her. "It numbs the pain."

Taylor sighed and gently lifted Haley to her feet, wrapping her arm around her sister's waist and pulling her close to her. "I think you're better off going to bed," she told her, sitting her down on the edge of the bed. "I need to change your clothes first."

"They're fine," Haley told her, crossing her arms over her blood stained shirt and turning away. Taylor shook her head and pulled out some clean ones from the drawers.

"They are not fine," Taylor hissed, throwing the clothes down on the bed, wondering why Haley was making such a big deal about this. "Lift your arms up."

"No," Haley told her, falling onto the bed and rolling onto her onto her good arm.

"Haley, what are you hiding?" Taylor asked, all emotions running through her veins. When Haley didn't respond, Taylor took a deep breath, trying hard not to lose control. "Tell me you don't, tell me you didn't."

Haley lay still before sitting up and standing on the floor, a few feet away from Taylor. "What do you want me to tell you, Taylor? Huh?" She yelled, making Taylor back away from her. "Is this what you want to see?" Haley yelled louder, lifting up her bloodied shirt, revealing three cuts like the one on her wrist on her abdomen. "Are you happy?"

Taylor stared at the cuts, thinking back to the day when she saw one just like it when Haley showed her where the bruise used to be. "You, you told me a cat scratched you when I asked you about it in the summer."

"Yeah, well I lied," Haley snapped, throwing the shirt over her head and placing the new on one.

"How long has this been going on?" Taylor asked, watching Haley sit down on the bed. "I, I can't believe you would do something like this. Haley, honey, why?"

Haley's began to breathe heavily and threw her hands up in the air, searching for the answer to the question posed. "I really can't tell you why. I just did it one day a few weeks after mom and dad died and I kept doing it."

"Whoa, 5 years?" Taylor asked in shock, "Haley, you've been cutting yourself for 5 goddamn years and never once told us that?"

"You never asked," Haley told her simply, shrugging her shoulders, glancing down at her bandaged arm. "No one noticed so I kept doing it, no one tried to stop me so I kept doing it, no one seemed to care so I kept doing it. And 5 years later, my arm is defaced and hideous."

Taylor bit her lip and ran her hands through her hair before joining her sister on the bed, putting her arm around Haley shoulders. "This has to stop right now. You can't keep doing this to yourself."

"Do you think it's easy?" Haley yelled, springing to her feet. "Do you think I fucking like looking at my arm knowing I'm the one who did this? Huh? Do you have any idea how it feels to know I'm the one who caused all this pain? How do you think it feels walking around ashamed to be who you are," she whispered, biting back her tears.

"Haley-bub," Taylor whispered, her eyes filled with tears, still trying to get over the fact that her baby sister cut herself. "Is that why you always covered yourself up?"

Haley nodded slowly and tugged at the bottom of her shirt. "I didn't want to be one of those people who put their scars on show, I don't want anyone's pity. I haven't, I haven't done it in a while. But then when Brooke told me she wasn't coming home, it, it just set me off and I can't control it, I can't stop myself."

"I understand it's hard," Taylor said, after a pause, "but, why couldn't you just come talk to one of us? Cutting yourself, it's bad, you know people end up…"

"Dead?" Haley finished bitterly, rolling her eyes. "Well, I can count on you to speak at my funeral if I die, right?"

"Haley," Taylor warned, making a fist with her hand. "Don't you ever say that again. You need to stop doing this to yourself, it's wrong, it doesn't solve problems."

"It solves my problems," Haley snapped, "You don't know how good it feels to do it. It numbs the pain, it makes all my problems go away. And some days I just want to cut deep, deep so I pass out, deep so I die."

"Haley, stop!" Taylor yelled, grabbing Haley and holding onto her arm tight. "Shut the fuck up. Stop saying things like that! I can't handle it, I won't listen to it. Take it back right now, take back what you said."

Haley watched as her older sisters eyes filled up with tears. She never saw Taylor cry and she knew she had hit a nerve. "No," she whispered truthfully, watching the tears fall down Taylor's cheek. "That's the truth."

"I don't believe you," Taylor bit back, releasing Haley's arm and pushing her on the bed. "Where do you keep your razor?"

"What?"

"I said where do you keep your razor?" Taylor yelled angrily, beginning to tear through Haley's drawers until she found the instrument that was scarring her sister's body. "Damn it Haley, where is it?"

"I don't know," Haley whispered, cowering away from Taylor. Taylor groaned in frustration, "I don't know what you're talking about."

"Tell me!" Taylor blew out, shutting Haley's dresser drawers and walking over to the bed, staring at her sister straight in the eye. "Tell me right now, Haley."

Haley looked at Taylor's enraged face and gulped, pointing to her nightstand. She watched Taylor storm over there and successfully retrieve the razor, placing it in her back pocket. "That's not going to make me stop you know."

"I know," Taylor hissed, ready to smack Haley across the face any second now. "Go to bed, we are going to have a long, long chat tomorrow."

"Go to hell," Haley bit back, immediately regretting it when Taylor turned around and walked back over to the bed, grabbing her arm and gripping it tightly. "Let me go!"

"Don't you dare talk back to me like that ever again. So help me god, if I find another cut on your body I will send you away without any regret. Do you understand that? Now get your ass in bed, I have a phone call to make."

"Don't tell her," Haley whispered as Taylor dropped her arm. "You don't tell Brooke, and I'll stop cutting."

Taylor shook her head and glanced at her sister in disbelief. "How naïve do you think I really am? Tomorrow, you're going to school and coming straight home afterwards, I don't care if it's your birthday or not, you blew it."

Haley watched Taylor walk out of the room and slam the door before collapsing onto the bed in a heap of tears. She had really screwed up tonight and there was no way she could ever make up for it.

**xxxx**

Brooke was just about to crawl into bed when she heard her cell phone ring. She groaned heavily and grabbed it, whining when she saw Taylor's name across the screen. "What?"

"Brooke, you better get your fucking ass home before I come out there and get you," Taylor screamed, making Brooke jump in fear. "And don't you dare sit there and tell me you're not."

"I'm not," Brooke told her cautiously, "look, if this is about earlier, then I'm sorry. I can't come home, I can't."

"Don't play games with me Brooke!" Taylor yelled, pounding her fist onto the table, wincing at the pain. "If you don't get your ass back home soon, I swear to god I will come down there myself and drag you back, kicking and screaming."

"What is this about anyways?" Brooke asked, remembering Taylor telling her she was okay with Brooke being gone. "You were fine with me living here, why all of a sudden would you change your mind?"

Taylor thought about telling Brooke about Haley, she really did, but she was just so tired and still in shock from the night that she just decided to give up. "Forget it. But I'm telling you right now, if you're not back here in the next few days, I'm coming to get you. Understand that?"

"But, Taylor-"

"Do you understand that, Brooke?" Taylor repeated sternly, waiting for her sister's answer.

"No, I don't," Brooke told her in a rush before hanging up the phone. Taylor let out a frustrated groan and threw the phone down on the table, cursing when the back of the phone came off.

Taylor walked up the stairs and stopped outside of Haley's door. "Hay, I'm sorry," she whispered, peering into the room, her heart literally stopping when she saw Haley's empty bed.

She heard the bathroom door open and Haley walked out, stopping dead in her tracks when she saw her sister. She stared down at her bloody clothes and she shut her eyes. "I, I was cleaning up the mess, I swear, I swear I didn't do anything," she said, her voice cracking.

"It's okay, I believe you," Taylor whispered back, smiling through her tears. Haley nodded and slowly advanced towards her before allowing Taylor's arms to wrap around her. She didn't care if the blood was staining her shirt, all she cared was about Haley's well being for right now. "You scared me so much tonight."

"I'm sorry," Haley whispered, her voice muffled by Taylor's shoulder. "I didn't mean to freak out like that."

Taylor sighed and rubbed her hand up and down Haley's back. "I know, baby, I know. I'm sorry too, it's just, it's just I wish, I wish you wouldn't keep things from me like that. If I ever lost you, I don't know what I would do."

Haley felt the guilt ignite in her veins and she held onto Taylor, showing no effort to let her go. "Are you really going to make me go to school tomorrow on my birthday?" Taylor laughed and pulled back, making a face when she noticed her stained clothes.

"You have to," Taylor told her, ignoring the heavy sigh coming from Haley. "And we have to talk about your," she stopped, gesturing towards Haley's arm. "Cutting."

"It's too painful to talk about," Haley whispered, shying away from her sister. "I'm not ready to talk about it yet."

Taylor sighed, realizing she wasn't getting much more out of Haley. "Come on, it's getting late, you might want to get some sleep for school tomorrow. I'm just going to go change, I'll be right in."

"No, I'm okay," Haley said quietly, walking into her room and stopping in the doorframe. She fiddled with her shirt and turned around, pulling something out of her pajama pocket. "Here, maybe you should have this."

Taylor watched Haley's door shut and she sighed. She glanced down the object in her hand, her eye's immediately widening. She dropped the razor and pushed Haley's door open. "You didn't, did you?"

She watched Haley's body tremble and her stomach churned when Haley looked up at her with glazed eyes, nodding her head. "I, I couldn't stop myself."

"Oh, Haley," Taylor whispered, placing her hand over her mouth and feeling her eyes begin to water. "Where is it?"

"Right here," Haley said quietly, rolling up her sleeve and pointing to the fresh cut above the bandaged one. "I'm sorry." She whispered, her own eyes filling up with tears. "Please don't be mad at me, the yelling, it, it scares me."

Taylor advanced towards the bed and pulled Haley into her arms, stroking her hair and trying to soothe her sobs. "Okay, it's okay, we're going to get through it, I promise." She pulled Haley back so she could see her face and gently kissed her forehead.

Haley gulped and pulled her sleeve again, staring at the cut, her eyes fixated on that one spot. "I hate it. I hate myself for doing this. God, I am so stupid!" She yelled, startling Taylor. "I'm so stupid, Tay."

"You're not stupid," Taylor told her, wiping her eyes before pulling Haley back into her arms. "You're hurting and what you're doing, it's not going to make you feel any better, honey. This is serious, Haley, you, you need to get some professional help."

"I know," Haley finally admitted, feeling relieved that it was all off her chest. "After Christmas I will, I promise."

Taylor smiled and nodded before letting her go. "But for right now, I think we just need to get some sleep. I'm going to stay here tonight, okay? I really don't think you should be alone."

"Okay," Haley whispered, wiping her eyes and getting off the bed to get a new pair of clothes. "Do, do you mind if throw these out? I don't think the blood will come out."

"Sure," Taylor agreed, "let me just go get changed and I'll be right back, okay?" Haley nodded and watched as Taylor quickly ran out of the room, dying to get out of the blood stained clothes.

Haley took off her shirt with trembling arms and threw it in front of her, bursting into tears when she caught a glimpse of her arm. She stood in the middle of her room in her black sports bra and clean pajama pants, shaking heavily and sobbing quietly.

Taylor came back into the room and froze when she saw Haley in the middle of the room. "Hay?" She asked, carefully making her way over and looking at Haley's tear stained face. She picked up the clean shirt and carefully placed it over Haley's head, kicking the stained one out of the way.

She led her over to the bed and pulled the covers down gently sitting Haley down and watching as she slipped under the covers, sniffling loud and frequently. She turned the light off and slipped in beside Haley, feeling her snuggle up to her.

"I love you, Brooke," Haley whispered, in a daze, not really knowing what was going on. Taylor suppressed her sigh and placed her arms around Haley's shoulders, rubbing them gently.

"I love you too, baby."

* * *

**I'm going to try and finish this ASAP, there's only about 5 more chapters left anyways and I want to get the sequel up and running. Please tell me what you think**

**Kristin**


	30. Lights will guide you home

**2 updates in 2 days, huh? Well like I said, I just want to hurry up and finish this so the updates are going to be more frequent.**

* * *

Haley cursed the school board the moment she stepped into the school, making them have school on Christmas Eve was just ridiculous. It was even worse because it was her 17th birthday and she didn't get much sleep the night before.

She made her way to her locker and sighed, slowly opening her combination. She placed her bag on the ground and stuffed the books in the locker, jumping up when someone slammed her locker door shut.

"Tutor Girl," Theresa snickered, looking at Haley in amusement. "Long time no see, how's it going?"

"Fine," Haley mumbled, slinging her bag over her shoulder. "How's it going with you?" She asked quietly, hoping the bell would ring soon.

Theresa shrugged her shoulders and flipped her hair back, enjoying watching the girl squirm. "Look, Haley, about Brooke…"

"You got what you want, she's gone," Haley snapped, wondering where her new found strength was coming from. "She's not coming home so don't worry, you don't have to be looking over your shoulder every minute."

"I didn't think she'd actually go," Theresa admitted, her voice low and somewhat apologetic.

"Well she did," Haley told her harshly, wanting to move the conversation along and get away from the cheer slut. "Brooke, Brooke's being Brooke and refusing to come home. Now, just leave me the hell alone."

"Haley wait," Theresa called out when Haley turned around. She grabbed Haley's injured wrist and immediately let go when Haley yelped. "What's wrong with you? You're, you're not your normal self."

"People change, Theresa," Haley said, carefully putting her injured arm down to her side. "You should really look into that, maybe it will do you some good." Theresa sighed and watched Haley begin to storm off again.

"I'm sorry."

Haley turned around in shock, wondering if she heard right or not. "What, what did you just say? You're, you're sorry?"

Theresa nodded and looked at Haley sincerely. "I realized how it must feel and I thought about it for a long time and I'm, I'm just sorry. I never meant to-" She stopped mid-sentence, staring at the figure that appeared behind Haley. "I, I have to go."

Haley watched in confusion as Theresa took off down the hallway without looking back. She shrugged her shoulders and turned around, bumping right into the person standing behind her. "Taylor? What are you doing here?"

"I sort of felt bad for making you go to school on your birthday so I talked to Principal Turner and he's letting me dismiss you for the day." Taylor told her with a smile, the smile getting bigger when Haley's eyes lit up in excitement. "You're lucky that man loves me, he's not the easiest negotiator."

"What did you do? Offer him some sort of reward for letting me out early?" Haley teased, nudging Taylor with her hip. Taylor's eyes widened in disgust and she gently pushed Haley away.

"Just come on before I change my mind," Taylor said, motioning for Haley to go first. The two walked out of the school in silence, neither of them wanting to bring up the previous night. "How's your arm?" Taylor finally asked, feeling it was necessary to know.

Haley shrugged and bit her lip. It still stung a bit but she was used to it by now. "It's okay, it's still a little painful but I'll get over it soon. I always do."

Taylor wrinkled her nose as she got into the car. "Don't say stuff like that, Hay." Haley apologized and the two sat in silence, listening to nothing but the radio. "So, what would you like to do Birthday Girl?"

"You don't have anything planned?" Haley asked in mock shock, widening her eyes for dramatic effect. Taylor rolled her eyes and shook her head. "We could get something to eat, I'm hungry."

"Sounds good," Taylor agreed, "I know just the place."

**xxxx  
**

"Karen's?" Haley questioned when Taylor pulled up to the front of Karen's café. "What happened to the new fancy restaurant downtown?"

"Haley, it's 9 o'clock in the morning, it's not open," Taylor told her with a laugh, "besides, where else are you going to get a free breakfast?"

"At home," Haley mumbled, pulling her sleeves further down when Karen came over to greet them. "Hey, Karen."

Karen smiled and immediately gave Haley a hug, holding her tight. "Oh, Happy Birthday, sweetie," she gushed, gently brushing the snow that was in Haley's hair away. "I can't believe you're already 17, next year you'll be an adult."

"Lord help us then," Taylor said, gently prying Haley away from Karen's death grip. Haley smiled at Karen and felt a little uncomfortable after the silence filled the air. "So, got any more booths left?"

"Of course," Karen said, ushering them to their usual booth near the window and placing two menus in front of them. "I'll give you a few minutes to think it over, although I may already know what you want."

Haley took her coat off and handed the menu back to Karen with a smile. "Chocolate chip pancakes with a side of hash browns and orange juice." Taylor was about to scan the menu when Haley snatched it away from her. "She'll have the same."

"Sounds good," Karen said with a smile, placing her notepad into her apron and walking up to the front to greet another customer.

"And who told you that you can order for me?" Taylor asked as her cell phone rang. Haley shrugged and started to pick at the band-aid. "Hello?" Taylor asked, reaching over the table to swat Haley's hand away. "No, I'm right here. Yeah, I'm with her now, why, are you home already?"

"Who are you talking to?" Haley asked as Taylor's eyes widened and she bit her lip. Taylor waved her off like it was no big deal and thanked Karen when she set their orange juice down.

Taylor ignored her sister's question and continued on with her phone conversation. "I'm not yelling at you, Ben! I just didn't think you'd be getting back until later. We're getting breakfast at Karen's. No, you can't meet us here, just, just stay there and we'll see you later, okay?"

"He can come," Haley told her, placing a straw in her drink and taking a sip. "I mean he is your boyfriend after all and you did blow him off last night."

"Since when are you such a relationship expert?"

"Here we are," Karen said, interrupting the two sisters and placing their food down in front of them. Haley's cheeks turned a shade of magenta as Karen placed a candle in her pancakes and proceeded to light it.

"No, don't sing," Haley whined, turning her head away, not wanting to hear an obnoxious version of Happy Birthday sung to her.

"Oh, fine," Karen sulked, letting out a sigh. "At least blow out the candle and make a wish."

Haley let out a fake groan and leaned over, blowing out the candle out and quickly taking it out of the pancakes before the wax dripped into them. "Okay, there. Now, I'm starving."

Karen watched with a smile as Haley dug into her food, making sounds of praise as she took bite after bite. Her smile turned into a frown when Haley rolled up her sleeve, exposing her injured wrist. "Haley, what the heck happened to your wrist?"

"Nothing," Haley quickly said, dropping her fork and rolling down her sleeve. "Nothing, nothing happened to it."

"Haley," Taylor warned, looking at Karen's concerned face. Haley began to play with her food before dropping her fork again in frustration.

"What?" She snapped, beginning to tap her foot impatiently. "Shut up, Taylor."

"Hey," Karen interjected, confused by Haley's sudden mood change. "Haley, I just asked a simple question, there's no need to snap at Taylor."

"Sorry," Haley mumbled, not looking up at either women. She placed the fork on the plate and pushed it in front of her, signaling she was done. Taylor and Karen exchanged a look of concern. "I'm done, can we go?"

"Hold on, Hay," Taylor told her, watching her sister squirm around in the booth. She knew if she opened her mouth to Karen then Haley would most definitely hate her for the rest of her life. "Why don't you go wait in the car, I'll be done in a second."

Haley nodded and crawled out of the booth, throwing her jacket on and walking out of the café, not bothering to say a word to any of the two women. Taylor let out a groan and Karen placed her dish towel on her shoulder and sat down in Haley's seat.

"Sorry about that," Taylor apologized, looking at Karen sadly. "I don't know what's wrong with her Karen, she's like a time bomb waiting to explode. One minute she's fine, the next minute she's jumping down my throat."

"How long has she been like that?" Karen asked sympathetically, placing her hand over

Taylor's. "Her attitude I mean, what's going on with her?"

"Ever since Princess Brooke left, she hasn't been the same. I don't know what to do anymore, Karen." Taylor paused for a minute, thinking it would be a good idea to tell Karen about Haley's cutting issues. "Last night, last night I caught her cutting herself."

"What?" Karen asked, feeling her heart skip a beat. Like Taylor, she never imagined Haley doing that to herself. "I, I think I want to go have a talk with Haley right now if you don't mind."

Taylor gulped and imagined Haley blowing up at her when she found out that Taylor told someone else about her cutting. But it was for her own good. Karen was like a mother to Haley and if someone could talk some sense into her, it would be Karen. "Sure, go ahead. Just be prepared for the wrath of Haley."

**xxxx**

Haley sat in the cold car, rubbing her hands up and down her arms to try and keep warm. She jumped when she heard a tapping on the window and made a face when she saw Karen outside the window with a cup of hot chocolate in her hands.

Karen smiled slightly and pushed the cup further towards the window, watching as Haley's eyes became glued to the hot steam rising from the cup. Haley unlocked the door and opened it, graciously taking the hot liquid.

"Thanks," she mumbled, blowing on the top and taking small sips. Karen gently bent down and placed her hand on Haley's knee.

"Do you want to move in the back?" Karen asked, gesturing towards the backseat of the car. She stood up to her feet, allowing Haley room to get out and opened the car door,

"Why, are you planning on making love to me or something?" Haley asked sarcastically, immediately shutting up when Karen gave her a warning look. "Sure why not." The two clambered in, Karen holding the hot chocolate while Haley got herself situated. "Thanks," she whispered, taking the cup back and taking another small sip.

"No problem," Karen told her with a smile. The two sat in silence before Karen finally found the nerve to speak up. "You want to tell me what's going on?"

Haley shrugged her shoulders and placed the hot chocolate in between her legs. "I would think Taylor covered everything."

"She did," Karen sighed and reached over and grabbed Haley's arm. "I figured I'd hear it from you first." Haley made no effort to pull her arm away, instead she turned her head away and drummed her fingers on the side of the cup.

"There's not much to tell," Haley admitted truthfully, wincing when Karen slowly rolled up her sleeves and examined the cuts. Karen's heart broke into tiny pieces as she looked at the scars that covered the younger girl's arm.

"Haley, sweetie, what do you get out of cutting yourself?" Karen asked quietly, gently releasing her grip on Haley's arm. "If you think it helps, it doesn't, sweetie, it doesn't help at all."

Haley rolled her eyes, getting fed up with the same lines over and over again. "You don't understand. Nobody understands. All those years I spent alone, the razor was the only one there to comfort me. It was the only there for me."

"Honey, that's not true," Karen told her soothingly, putting her arm around her shoulders and giving them a small squeeze. "Look, I never told anyone this, but maybe this will help you."

Haley watched as Karen rolled up her own sleeve and pointed to the long scar on her left arm. "How does the scar you got from surgery going to help me?"

"I didn't get it from surgery," Karen whispered, trying to bite back her tears. "After my parents divorced when I was 15, things got harder for me and I just couldn't deal with it. I had nobody there for me so one night I tried…well you know. But the point is, sweetie, I didn't have anyone there for me like you do. You've got two sisters who love and would do anything to for you. What do you think your parents would say if they knew you cut yourself?"

Haley sighed and thought about Taylor and how upset she was when she found out her cutting. She could only imagine how Brooke would react. If she ever came home that is. "They would be disappointed."

"And how do you think Taylor feels?"

"Disappointed," Haley whispered, finishing off the hot chocolate and setting the cup down next to her. "I get it Karen, you're disappointed."

Karen took Haley's hands in her own and gently squeezed them. "I am not disappointed, Haley. I'm just, I'm just saddened that you would do this to yourself. I wish you could have come to talk to me, maybe it would have helped."

"Nothing helps," Haley groaned, suddenly feeling confined in the car. "After Christmas I'm going to get the help I need and it's going to be okay, it's all going to go away."

Karen looked defeated and gently gave Haley a hug and a kiss on the top of her head. "I'm always going to be here for you, kiddo, always." Haley nodded her head and rested her head on Karen's shoulder, lucky to have someone like her in her life.

"Thanks, Karen," she whispered, trying to keep her teeth from chattering as the two felt the cold in the car. "I think, I think it's time to go inside."

"You got it," Karen told her with a laugh, following Haley outside and into the Café, smiling when Haley went back over to the table where Taylor was sitting at. "It's on the house," she said, bringing two mugs over to the booth and placing them on the table.

Taylor smiled and rolled her eyes as her cell phone rang again. "What? Jesus, okay, we'll be home soon, okay? God," she hissed, hanging up her phone and placing back in her purse. "Hay, are you ready?"

"Um, sure," Haley mumbled, watching Taylor get up from the booth and giving Karen a quick hug. "Thanks again, Karen," she whispered, giving the older woman a hug and a quick wave as she walked out the front door with Taylor in tow.

**xxxx**

"Close your eyes," Taylor commanded as they stepped on their front porch. Haley looked at her weirdly and shook her head.

"Tay, I'm cold," she whined, just wanting to go inside and curl up in a ball on the couch. "I don't have time to play your games."

"Close your eyes!"

"Okay," Haley said, shutting her eyes and feeling Taylor lead her into the house. "Can I open them now?" She felt Taylor place her on the couch and she opened them, looking around the house to see nothing new with it. "Why the heck did you have me close my eyes? There's nothing here!"

Taylor sighed, realizing Haley was never going to shut up about it. "Well, it was a SURPRISE, but I guess it's not here YET."

Haley raised her eyebrow and stood up. "Taylor, it's 10 o'clock in the morning, are you drunk already?" She teased, laughing when Taylor whacked her across the arm. "I'm kidding!"

"Come here," Taylor hissed, grabbing Haley's hand and leading her over to the stairs, stopping at the foot of them. Haley noticed pieces of paper on every other stair and picked the first one up in confusion.

_When you have no light to guide you  
And no one to walk to walk beside you  
I will come to you_

"What is this?" Haley asked in confusion, scanning the paper over again. "I don't get it."

"Just keep going," Taylor told her with a smile, nudging her to go up the stairs. Haley picked up the second piece of paper and read it slowly.

_Sometimes when all your dreams may have seen better days  
And you don't know how or why, but you've lost your way_

_Have no fear when your tears are fallin'  
I will hear your spirit callin'_

"Keep going," Taylor urged her sister, who kept looking up at her in confusing. "It will all make sense in a few minutes."

"There's not going to be a stripper in my room, is there?"

"I wish," Taylor laughed, wiggling her eyebrows at Haley. "Seriously, Hay, just be quiet and keep going!"

Haley picked up the third piece of paper at the top of the stairs and scanned over it. She let out a heavy sigh, just wanting the waiting to be over with and have everything revealed.

'_cause even if we can't be together  
We'll be friends now and forever_

"Finally," Haley mumbled, stopping outside her door. She thought it was weird that her bedroom door was shut but didn't bother to say anything, for fear of Taylor yelling at her again. She picked up the last piece of paper, feeling her heart skip a beat.

_So if you feel that your soul is dyin'  
And you need the strength to keep tryin'  
I'll reach out and take your hand_

"Open the door," Taylor whispered, watching with a smile as Haley slowly opened the door, probably slightly scared as to what was going to be behind it. But what was behind the door was not what Haley expected.

"Happy Birthday!" Brooke squealed, wrapped in a red bow with a huge smile plastered all over her face.

Haley's eyes widened and her mouth fell open in shock at the sight in front of her. "I guess wishes really do come true," she whispered, still in disbelief that Brooke was standing in front of her.

* * *

**SURPRISE! You know how long that last scene has been in my head. Too long! Well I'm glad it's finally out and now you can all enjoy Brooke being home. **


	31. A Long December

I'm so sorry it took so long to update. School's been killer and I've been doing essays left and right. This chapter caused me a lot of stress and I don't like it that much..but I hope you leave a nice review :)

And that song I used is sort of embarassing... it's "I will come to You" by Hanson.

* * *

Brooke felt uncomfortable as Haley's eyes stared straight at her, as if she just came back from the dead or something. Taylor watched the two stare at each other in silence and started to feel uncomfortable. Brooke pulled the red bow off of her, suddenly feeling like a complete idiot and tossed it aside.

"Happy Birthday," she said again, taking small steps before enveloping Haley into a hug. When Haley didn't return the hug her face fell but she showed no sign of letting go.

"Surprise," Taylor said in a fake voice that made Haley pull away from Brooke and look at her. Brooke bit her lip, wondering why it was so hard for her to communicate with her sister. She hadn't seen her since the summer and all she wanted to do was hug her for a while. "Say something, Hay."

Haley stared at Brooke again, studying her from head to toe. It was the same old Brooke, but something seemed a bit off about her. "I, I, what are you doing here?" She stuttered, not knowing what to say.

"I came back for your birthday. Why else would I be here?" Brooke answered in confusion. She hated the newfound awkwardness between her and Haley and it was killing her to have Haley give her a cold reception.

"Oh, well thanks." Haley whispered, giving Brooke the best smile she could muster. "I just, didn't think you were coming home."

Brooke shook her head as if that was the craziest thing she had ever heard. "And miss your birthday? I don't think I could ever live with myself." Haley gave her a small nod and was going to open her mouth when Brooke quickly continued on with her story. "I only told you that because I wanted it to be a surprise. I planned on coming home all along."

"You did?" Taylor said for Haley, who was in pretty much in shock. Haley glanced down at her arm and stole a look at Taylor before turning back to Brooke. Taylor sighed, remembering the living hell they went through the previous night when Haley found out Brooke wasn't coming home.

"Uh-huh," Brooke replied, obviously not picking up on the tension lingering in the air. "It was so hard to keep that in, but I managed to! And now I'm here and we can celebrate," she squealed, throwing her arms around Haley again, squeezing her tight.

Haley let Brooke hold onto her for a bit before pulling back and crossing her arms, "Oh, that's very nice of you. I was surprised."

"I'll let you two talk," Taylor told them, forcing a smile when Brooke looked up at her. If she known Brooke was coming home all along she would have told Haley, figuring it would give her something to look forward to. The two younger girls watched the blonde turn around slowly and walk out the door, closing it behind her softly.

"So," Brooke began, sitting on the edge of Haley's bed. She hated how unresponsive Haley was being. She thought Haley would be happier than she was, hugging her tightly and not wanting to let her go. "How's your day been?"

Haley shrugged her shoulders and made her way over to the bed, sitting down next to Brooke. "Okay," she mumbled, staring at the floor. Brooke nodded and tried to suppress the sigh that was rising in her throat. "How was your bus ride?"

"It was long and boring," Brooke told her with a smile on her face. She was just so anxious to come home that she cursed at every stop the damn bus made. "But it was all worth it in the end, you know? I get to see you, Taylor and Peyton."

"Yeah," Haley agreed, rising to her feet. "Well I won't keep you then, Peyton probably wants to see you."

"She can wait," Brooke said in confusion, at her wits end with Haley's attitude. "Haley, what's the matter? Aren't you happy I'm home?" Haley turned away and fought back the tears that were forming in her eyes. She was sick of crying and she was doing her best not turn around and blow up at Brooke. But it was hard considering the circumstances.

"Yeah I am happy you're home," Haley snapped, not being able to hold it in anymore. "But you can't just waltz in here and pretend everything's going to be okay." Brooke swallowed hard, not prepared for what Haley had just said. "Why are you really home, Brooke?"

"I couldn't take it anymore," Brooke sighed, running her hands through her hair before getting off the bed. "I couldn't take all the calls telling me to come home. Do you know how many fights I got into with Karen and Taylor?" Haley shook her head and fell silent, listening to Brooke go on. "I lost count. That's how many times we fought over this whole god damn issue. Taylor called me, Karen called me, Karen's boyfriend called me. Deb Scott called me and I'm pretty sure Dan called me too. But when Theresa called me, the person that wanted me to go away in the first place, and told me that I had to come home, I knew something was wrong."

"What did Taylor and Karen say?" Haley asked quietly, tugging her sleeves. She was hoping neither of the two mentioned her cutting to Brooke.

Brooke threw her hands up in the air, trying to count the times both of them called her. "I don't know, Haley, a lot of stuff. Taylor called me last night and threatened my life if I didn't come home. Will you please just tell me what's going on? Are you okay?"

"I'm fine," Haley whispered, cursing herself for lying. She couldn't understand why she was having a hard time with Brooke being home. All those nights she wished her sister would come home came true, but she wasn't excited about it. "I really am. So you can go back after Christmas."

"I'm not going anywhere," Brooke said, smiling when Haley looked up at her. "It took me a while, but I convinced Turner to let me enroll again. Luckily my credits from the school in Chapel Hill were accepted so we can graduate together."

"Cool," Haley said, rolling her eyes at her attempt to hide her excitement. "Did you finish all of your college applications?" Brooke nodded, remembering all the hell she went through with them a few months before.

"Tree Hill community college," Brooke laughed, shrugging her shoulders. "I figured you're going for the big Ivy League school, it doesn't bother me anyways. So which school is it? Harvard? Princeton?"

"Yale," Haley said quietly, her cheeks blushing when Brooke squealed. "I did early decision so I should find out pretty soon."

"You'll get in," Brooke told her confidently, suddenly feeling the awkwardness slowly beginning to fade away. "Then when you do, I can get a Yale sticker for my car! Hey, maybe your roommate will be Rory Gilmore."

Haley laughed slightly before rolling here eyes at her sister. "Brooke, don't be stupid. First of all, I haven't even gotten accepted and second of all," she said, looking around before dropping her voice into a low whisper, "Rory didn't go back to school, remember?"

"Oh yeah," Brooke laughed, playfully slapping herself on the forehead. "Sorry, I forgot. Anyways," she began, listening to the silence that lingered in the air between her and her sister. "What's new with you?"

"Nothing," Haley lied, hating herself for not telling Brooke the truth. It was so easy to tell Taylor, why couldn't she tell Brooke? "I'm still the same Haley, just a year older now." Brooke nodded along with her and gave up trying to make conversation. "I'm going to go take a shower, don't go anywhere."

Brooke let out a laugh as Haley skipped out the door before letting out a huge sigh. She got up from the bed and found Taylor in the hallway. "She's not the same, Taylor."

"Well, Brooke, people change," Taylor told her, giving her a sympathetic smile and placing her hand on Brooke's shoulder. "Just give her time. She's got a lot of stuff on her mind right now."

"I wish someone would tell me what's going on," Brooke breathed out, tired of both her sisters lying to her face. "What's wrong with her?"

Taylor shrugged, feeling horrible that she was keeping this from Brooke. "It's not my place to tell you, Brooke. When Haley's ready, she'll tell you."

"How bad is it?" Brooke asked, biting her lip in frustration. She had a feeling in the pit of her stomach that it wasn't anything she was going to like. "Taylor, please tell me," she pleaded, looking up at her older sister with a glazed look in her eyes.

"I can't Brooke," Taylor whispered, looking down at her sister with a sad smile. "I want to tell you, I want to tell you so bad, but I can't, I just can't."

"Is it something serious?" Brooke wondered, her stomach churning when Taylor shook her head gravely. "Don't do this, Taylor. Just tell me, please tell me."

Taylor shook her head furiously, wanting to move on with the subject. "Brooke, it's her birthday and it's Christmas tomorrow. Just let her enjoy the holiday because once it's over she's in for a long haul." Brooke watched as her eyes filled with tears and began to get agitated.

"What the hell is going on?" Brooke questioned, her voice rising in anger. "You can't expect me to pretend everything is okay when it's not. Taylor, just tell me what's wrong. What's wrong with Haley?"

"She, she," Taylor took a deep breath, trying to gain her thoughts. Her mind was in a jumble from last night and she was still trying to get the images out of her brain. "Haley's hurting. And the way she deals with it, it's not-"

"I changed my mind," Haley said, emerging from the bathroom, stopping when she saw her two sisters deep in conversation. "Okay, it looks like I'm interrupting something. I'll just go in my room until you're done. Brooke, could you come in after?"

"Sure," Brooke whispered, watching Haley nod her head before going into her bedroom and shutting the door. Taylor sighed and yelped as Brooke grabbed her arm and dragged her into a different room. "Finish that sentence."

Taylor shook her head, knowing what she was doing was wrong but at the same time she couldn't betray Haley's trust. "Stop," she hissed, glaring at Brooke's impatient face. The two of them locked eyes for a good 30 seconds before Taylor broke the silence. "Go spend time with Haley. If she doesn't tell you by tomorrow, then I'll tell you."

"Fine," Brooke snapped, turning around on her heel and storming off down the hall. She stopped in front of Haley's door and took a minute to calm herself down before entering the room. She saw Haley sitting on the edge of the bed fiddling with her hair. "What's up?"

Haley rose to her feet and looked at Brooke nervously. "I need to change," she said quickly, waiting for Brooke's reaction. Brooke looked at her in confusion and raised her eyebrows.

"Um, okay. I can leave the room if you want," Brooke answered, still confused as to what Haley was trying to say.

"No, no. I need to change, change something about myself," Haley corrected, using her arms to emphasize her point. "I want to go back to school after Christmas break and have people know who I am. I want to do something exciting to finish off my senior year of high school with."

A smile spread across Brooke's lips as she rested her hands on her hips. "Well then, I have just the thing," she said, holding out her hand for Haley to take and led her out of the room.

**xxxx**

"Oh my dear god," Taylor said in shock as her mouth fell open staring at Haley's new blonde hair. "Hay…wow."

"Do you like it?" Haley asked shyly, running her hands through her blonde locks. Brooke looked on with a proud smile at how hot Haley looked. "Is it too Jessica Simpson like? Because that's not the look I was going for."

Taylor laughed and shook her head, still trying to get over Haley's new appearance. "You look hotter than Jessica Simpson you little sexpot." Haley's cheek blushed and turned away when Brooke nudged her with her hip.

"See baby, didn't I say you looked hot?" Brooke squealed, running her hands through her sister's hair. The doorbell rang, interrupting the fixation on Haley's hair. "I'll get it," Brooke said, skipping down the stairs and opening the door.

"Hot guy for Christmas…check," she said, leaning up against the door and flashing her bright smile at the man on the porch. "Hi, I'm Brooke," she extended her hand out for him to shake.

Ben laughed and shook her hand, letting himself in and waiting for Brooke to shut the door behind him. "And I'm your sister's boyfriend." He watched in amusement as her face fell and she raised her perfectly plucked eyebrow at him.

"Big or little?" She asked, taking a seat next to him on the couch. He was definitely too old to be Haley's boyfriend but with the way Haley had been acting she couldn't tell.

"Um, big. Me dating your little one would probably get me thrown in jail," he laughed, running his hand through his hair. "So you're the infamous Brooke I've heard so much about, huh?"

Brooke shrugged her shoulders and flipped her hair, wondering what the guy in front of her knew about her. "Uh, sure. Taylor's upstairs if you want to go see her. We dyed Haley's hair. She actually looks like Taylor now," she laughed and rose to her feet, sitting back down when Haley came down the stairs.

"Actually, I wanted to ask you something," Ben said, gesturing for Haley to sit down. Haley took a seat next to Brooke and looked at Ben in confusion. "Taylor's still upstairs right?" Haley nodded and motioned for him to continue. "Okay, well I wanted to ask you this, just to make sure it was okay."

"Look, dude, whatever it is just spit it out," Brooke said, rolling her eyes at him. "Are you asking us permission for you to propose to Taylor?"

Haley's eyes widened and a smile spread upon her lips. She loved Ben and how happy he made Taylor. Ben nodded his head nervously and grabbed the ring out of his coat pocket to show them. "Oh, Ben, it's beautiful. She'll love it."

"Well before I say yes," Brooke said, crossing her arms and giving Ben her best interrogating look. "I don't even know much about you. I mean…how old are you? Where are you from? What do you do for work? How long have you and Taylor been dating?"

Ben shifted in his seat uncomfortably and laughed nervously. "Well, I must say, you're quite the protector, Brooke. I am 27 and I am from Maine. I'm a social worker downtown and I've known Taylor for about 2 and a half years. We've been dating since the summertime but I know in my heart that she is the right one for me. And if you'll let her be my wife, I'll make sure she never gets hurt again."

"It's just, it's just that Taylor's literally been through hell and back. With our parents dying, then being forced to give up her daughter and then her dying-"

"Wait, what?" Brooke asked, trying to comprehend the last sentence. "Did you say her daughter died too?" Haley realized what she had said and quickly covered her mouth with her hands. "When did she die and how come I never knew?"

Haley was at a loss for words, partially because she didn't know the whole story herself. "Brooke, I, she just told me that one day when you went to your cheerleading clinic. She hasn't brought it up since and I don't want to say anything."

Ben twiddled his thumbs, debating whether or not to tell them the whole story. "The thing with Emily was complicated. Dan forced her to sign the adoption papers against her own will. We found a nice home for her and it seemed like everything was going smoothly. But no one saw that accident coming, it was just sudden."

"Poor, Taylor," Brooke whispered, looking up at Ben. "I, uh, I didn't know about that. Taylor likes to hide things from everyone because she thinks she can deal with things on her own."

Haley bit her lip and remembered all the stuff that she made Taylor keep from Brooke. "You promise not to hurt her?" She asked, looking up and smiling when Ben nodded his head confidently. "Well then I give you my permission. Brooke?"

"Yeah," Brooke said with a smile, "but if you do hurt her, we'll kick your ass, got that? We may look small and tiny but we throw a pretty mean punch."

"I'll keep that in mind," Ben said with a laugh, reaching over to hug his two possible sister-in-laws. "Now if you don't mind, I have a question to ask!" Brooke and Haley watched him skip up the stairs and smiled, knowing that he was the right guy for their sister.

**xxxx**

"Your sisters are crazy," Ben mumbled as Taylor dragged him outside in the cold, snowy weather. "Normal people don't go outside in the snow, they like to stay inside and keep warm." Taylor rolled her eyes and gently whacked him in the arm.

"Well my sisters aren't normal," she said with a laugh, stopping in the middle of the backyard. "In fact they nuts and you're just going to have to get used to them if you want to marry me." Ben laughed nervously and cursed as a snowball connected with the back of his head. "And they like to throw things at other people."

Brooke and Haley came skipping over with their hands behind their backs. Taylor shook her head, telling them not to do whatever they were going to do next. "I swear if you hit me I'll kill you," she said just as Haley tossed a snowball at her face. Brooke stifled her laughter and let it out when Taylor threw one back at Haley.

Ben looked on in amusement as the three sisters began to pick up the snow off the ground and toss it at one another. He was happy to see Taylor and Haley acting as sisters again and not just two people who lived under the same roof.

He walked over to them and couldn't help but laugh when he saw Brooke and Haley piled on top of Taylor. "Okay, um girls," he said, gently removing Haley off of Brooke and Brooke off of Taylor. "I think we need to let Taylor breathe."

"She could breathe," Haley replied with an eye roll. "And I know for a fact because Brooke's fat ass was in my face, not Taylor's."

"Shut up, _blondie_," Brooke shot back, chucking a snowball at her head. Haley's eyes widened and stood in shock for a good 30 seconds. "You wouldn't dare," Brooke said when Haley held a snowball in her hand.

Taylor rolled her eyes and knocked the snowball out of Haley's hand before she could throw it at Brooke. "I'll hit her," she mumbled, aiming straight at Brooke's face. "Nothing wrong with being a blonde."

"Yeah," Haley agreed with a smirk, enjoying the look on Brooke's face. "Nothing wrong with being a blonde. It looks you're the odd one out now, Brookie."

Brooke rolled her eyes and shrugged her shoulders. "Oh well. You know how that saying goes, blondes tease but brunettes please," she raised her eyebrows suggestively. Ben bit his lip to stop himself from laughing but couldn't help it when Taylor and Haley laughed.

"Where the hell did you hear that?" Taylor asked, still laughing at the phrase that came out of her sister's mouth. "Blondes have more fun." Haley nodded her head in agreement and crossed her arms, trying to imitate her older sister.

"Okay first of all," Brooke started, staring at both of her sisters. "I don't remember where I heard that phrase and secondly, Haley you've been a blonde for like 2 hours! And third…shut up!"

"Brooke is right you know," Ben cut in, adjusting his hat. "Brunette do please, isn't that right?" Brooke smiled and nodded in agreement. "Although you shouldn't be pleasing at your age…"

Brooke snickered and patted him on the shoulder. "It's a little too late for that." Both Taylor and Haley nodded, knowing it was true. "Okay, it's really kind of cold standing out here so I'm going inside. Have fun doing whatever."

"Wait, I'll come with you," Haley yelled after as Brooke started to go in the house. She caught up to her inside and shut the door behind her. "They'll start making out and I'll feel awkward." Brooke laughed and peeled off her jacket, throwing it in the corner. Her boots, hat, scarf and gloves soon followed suite. Haley did the same and sat down on the table, listening to the silence that lingered in the eye.

"Do you want some hot chocolate?" Brooke asked, standing on her tip toes to grab two mugs from the cabinets. Haley nodded her head and watched Brooke fill the kettle with water and putting it on the stove. "So," she began, taking a seat across from Haley. "You want to tell me what's going on?"

Haley shrugged her shoulders and shook her head. "Um, okay? There's nothing going on." Brooke went to open her mouth when the doorbell rang.

"Hold that thought," she told her, getting up to her feet and heading towards the door.  
She opened it and nearly did a double take when she saw who was on the other side. "Lucas."

"Hi,' he whispered softly, forcing a smile. "My mom told me you were home so I figured I'd stop by and say hi. And also say happy birthday to Haley."

"Oh, she's just in the kitchen I can go get her if you want," Brooke offered, starting to turn around. She stopped when he said it was okay and started to play with his jacket. "Do you want to come inside? You look pretty cold."

He shook his head and took a deep breath. "Wait here, okay?" Brooke nodded and watched him run down the pathway and open his car door. Seconds later, he reappeared with several posters in his hands. "Now before you say anything, just, just hear me out."

Lucas knew one of her favorite movies was Love Actually and how much she loved the scene where the guy showed up on Keira Knightley's doorstep with his loved confessed on several poster boards.

He took another deep breath and held up the first one, trying not to smile at the shocked look on Brooke's face.

_Laughter fills the air  
And everyone is singing  
I hear those sleigh bells ringing  
Santa won't you bring me the one I really need  
Won't you please bring my baby to me_

In his handwriting were the lyrics to one of Brooke's favorite mainstream Christmas songs. He knew how much she loved Mariah Carey and how excited she got when she would hear the song on the radio during the holiday season.

"Lucas…"

"Just let me finish," Lucas told her softly, dropping the first poster board to the ground. Brooke slowly nodded her head and carefully ready the lyrics on the second one.

_Oh I don't want a lot for Christmas  
This is all I'm asking for  
I just want to see baby  
Standing right outside my door  
Oh I just want her for my own  
More than you could ever know  
Make my wish come true_

Brooke felt her eyes water as her ex-boyfriend stood on her porch, practically pouring his hear out to her through song lyrics. Lucas dropped the second poster board and was left with 2 more.

_Baby, all I want for Christmas…_

Read the second to last one. Brooke heard the kettle from the stove go off but chose to ignore it, anticipating the last and final card. If she knew Lucas, then she knew what it was going to say, but the way they acted towards each other a few months before she left he could be throwing her a curveball and written something else on it. Lucas took one last breath and dropped the board, revealing the most important one.

…_You_

"Brooke, I need to be with you," Lucas confessed, tears brimming in his eyes. Brooke had never seen him cry before and she knew he was speaking from his heart. "What I did was stupid, I'll admit it. I don't know what happened, I just snapped. But if you forgive me…and I hope you can, I promise to guard your heart with my life. I will never, ever hurt you again. Please, Brooke give me another chance…"

"Lucas," Brooke choked out after a brief pause. "I don't know if I can trust you. I loved you Lucas and I still do. But if I listen to my heart, my mind is telling me I'll get hurt again. And I don't know if I'm ready to set myself up for another heartbreak."

"Brooke?" Haley called from the kitchen, slowly making her way to the living room. Lucas looked at Brooke pleadingly and tried to open his mouth but Brooke stopped him. "Who's at the door?"

"Sorry," Brooke whispered to Lucas, giving him a sad look before shutting the door in his face. "Um, no one," she said turning to Haley as Haley walked up to her. "Come on, the hot chocolate is ready," she whispered, grabbing her sister's hand and leading her into the kitchen. Brooke grabbed the kettle and poured the hot water into the two mugs sitting on the counter.

Haley grabbed the hot chocolate mix and gave one to Brooke as she sat down. They sat in silence, the only noise was the spoon clinking against the glass. Haley bit her lip, debating whether or not to start a conversation or not. Brooke looked pretty deep in thought and she wasn't sure if she was wanted to be interrupted.

"I'm glad you're home," Haley finally whispered, tensing up when Brooke looked at her. Brooke cracked a smile and nodded her head. "I missed you." She slowly got up from her seat and walked over to Brooke and hugged her tightly.

"I missed you too, baby," Brooke whispered back, standing up to her feet and letting the tears spill over from the Lucas incident. "And thanks for not holding a grudge against me." Haley laughed a little before pulling out from Brooke's embrace. "Are you having a good birthday? I'm sorry I didn't get you anything…"

Haley shook her head and wiped away the tears that were falling down Brooke's face. "No, don't worry about it. You being home is the best you could give me." She smiled and gave Brooke another hug, taking a deep breath as she felt Brooke's arms wrap around her. She hated lying to Brooke and knew Brooke would hit the fan when she found out about what she had been doing for the past couple of years.

* * *

I already have the next chapter all finished so that will be up in the next couple of days. It's when Brooke finds out about Haley. And after that chapter is posted, there's only 2 more left and I'm going to do my best to finish this before Thanksgiving. Thanks for reading and please tell me what you think. 


	32. Fall Baby Fall

Okay, so I'm back! Now I just want to warn you about the cutting issue and stuff because it gets a little heavy. I wrote this a while ago so I know you're pulling for a BL scene but it's not happening in this chapter. Next chapter definitley.

* * *

Brooke let out a breathless sigh for the tenth time that night. She shut the TV off and threw the remote down onto the coffee table, grimacing when it made a breaking sound. "Whoops," she muttered, picking up the back piece that fell off of the floor and carefully sliding it back in over the batteries. Haley came down the stairs a few seconds later, making Brooke's face light up, finally, someone to talk to.

"Hey, Brooke," she said walking over to the couch and sitting down next to her sister. Brooke smiled widely and turned to face her. "What are you doing?" Brooke's smile suddenly turned into a frown and she threw her arms up in the air.

"Nothing! I'm so bored. I was kind of hoping you came down here to tell me you wanted to go out and do something. Anything." Brooke looked at Haley with pleading eyes. Haley laughed and shrugged, signaling she had nothing.

"Sorry, Tigger. I don't know what to say." She laughed some more at Brooke's expression and scratched her head. "Um, I rented The Notebook if you want to watch that?"

"Hm, I'm not in the mood for a sappy romance story. But seeing as Ryan Gosling is so hot, I'll watch it." Brooke said, standing up from the couch, "where is it?"

"It's on my book shelf," Haley said, watching Brooke nod before she jogged up the stairs. Brooke made her way into Haley's room and walked over the bookshelf. She scanned the books until she found the DVD wedged in between two books. "Why the hell does she have this between two books?" Brooke muttered to no one in particular, pulling the DVD out, knocking over one of the books in the process. "Jesus," she cursed while picking up the book up and studying it for a moment before realizing it was Haley's diary. She raised an interested eyebrow and skipped to the door, peeking her head out to make sure no one was there. Brooke grinned and opened to the first page rolling her eyes at the perfect, neat handwriting that filled the page.

"September, 12th, 2004," Brooke read aloud, anxiously waiting to read the entries that filled this page and the following ones.

_I tried to kill the pain, but it only brought more._

_Today she called me a 'thing'. "It's bad enough I'm related to this thing, I don't need her sitting here," that's what she said to me today at lunch when Peyton invited me to sit with them. I'm not even a person to the high and mighty Brooke James. It felt like I had been hit by a bus and after school I seriously considered throwing myself in front of one. Besides, it would probably take Brooke all day to realize I was gone. I just, I just don't understand what the hell I ever did to her. It baffles me everytime she makes a wisecrack about me, I just want to slap her. I, I really hate her sometimes. And so I did it. Again. It's on my upper arm so at least I can wear short sleeves. Last time didn't go so well. I cut just on the inside of my wrist and I saw Brooke pull up with her little cheerleading friends. It was really nice out that day and it would look suspicious if I had long sleeves on. So, I put the AC on full blast and threw on a sweatshirt._

Brooke's eyes widened in horror as a gasp escaped her mouth. Haley, a cutter? It didn't make sense at first but she remembered that day too well. A little too well.

_Brooke and Theresa exchanged a quick laugh before heading inside her house. Both girls immediately felt a chill go down their spine as the chilling air from the living room hit their bodies._

"_Brooke, why the hell is it so cold in here?" Theresa commented, her teeth beginning to chatter from the coldness._

_Brooke rubbed her bare arms and shrugged just as Haley came into the room, dressed in a large sweatshirt. "Haley!" She yelled, staring at her sister, "do you have the frigging AC on?" Haley bit her lip nervously and tried to look as innocent as possible._

"_No?"_

_Brooke walked over to the air conditioner that permanently sat in their window and turned it off. "Yes you do! Are you crazy? It's perfect outside, you don't need this thing on. God, you're so stupid sometimes," Brooke muttered, making Theresa snicker._

"_I'm sorry," Haley whispered, sitting down on the couch and fixing her gaze on her feet. She hugged her now hot body and wished for the other two girls in the room to go away. "I was a little hot so I put it on to cool me down."_

"_Yeah well it's off now. You can take your sweat shirt off, you don't need it anymore." Brooke snapped at her. Haley winced at the pure thought and shook her head._

"_No, I'm fine," she lied trying to play it off like she was cold. "I've got the chills now." She had just cut herself literally two seconds before Brooke came home and with the other scars around her left arm, it wasn't such a good idea to be showing her arms._

"_Whatever," Brooke rolled her eyes, pulling Theresa towards the stairs, "come on, she'll want to hang out with us if we stay here any longer."_

_Haley sighed heavily and curled up on the couch, trying her best to avoid the stinging sensation that shot up and down her arm. Boy, she was in trouble and everyone in her family was too blind to see it._

"Oh, no, no," Brooke whispered, her eyes suddenly filling up with tears, "no, it can't be true."

But then suddenly it all made sense. Why Haley wore long sleeves most of the time during the spring and why she always wore a sweat shirt to bed, even when it was definitely not needed. In gym class, she would wear a long sleeve shirt, despite how sweaty they got when they played basketball. Brooke let out a whimper, her sister was a cutter. She took a deep breath and flipped to the new page, gasping at the lyrics lying in front of her.

_  
Break, break, shatter the mirror  
Glass, glass, glass in my hand  
Blood, blood, blood on the counter  
And I don't think you'd ever understand  
Hurt, hurt, hurting my feelings  
Fuck, fuck, my self-esteem  
Shut, shut, the door and let me be  
Some things are just wrong with me _

Why do I cut myself?  
To keep my mind off you  
Why do I hate myself the way I do?I do.  
And I was scared  
That the world would make me numb  
And I would become like it  
Someday they will pay for all of this

Look at me now  
Look at me hurt myself tonight  
Look at me now  
Look at me, look at me  
Hurt myself tonight

Break, break, shatter the mirror  
Glass, glass, glass in my hand  
Blood, blood, blood on the counter  
And I don't think you'd ever understand  
Hurt, hurt, hurting my feelings  
Fuck, fuck, my self-esteem  
Shut, shut, the door and let me be  
Some things are just wrong  
Please leave  
Please leave

_I wrote her a song the other day. It's great how she's such an easy subject to write about. _

_I can't take it anymore. She's killing me with every breath she takes. Everytime she looks at me I can feel her eyes burn right through me. I'm done and I can't, I can't go on living like this. I won't pretend I'm okay anymore. My whole body aches because it's so fucked up and it's staring to deteriorate. My arm, my arm is scarred up and down, right and left. I just did it right now, and watched as the blood dripped onto this page. It's splattered all over the place and I don't care. I watched it drip in a daze as I thought about everything. That blood is for her, for you I bleed myself dry, Brooke. I'll be out of your life soon, don't worry. And when I'm gone she won't even care. She'll pretend to be sad for a few days and move on with the rest of her life. Because Brooke James can't dwell on something for more than a week, it's just the type of person she is. _

Brooke chocked back her sob and threw the book under her shirt when she heard footsteps. She fiercely wiped her eyes and took a deep breath, making sure the DVD was in her hand.

"Brooke? What the heck are you doing?" Haley said, coming into the room. Brooke looked at her for a second and noticed her choice of clothing. She was wearing a sweatshirt but it was the middle of winter, everyone wore those.

"Um, nothing. Sorry I got distracted." Brooke mumbled, shoving the DVD into Haley's hand. "Here, I don't want to watch this anymore." She pushed past Haley and stormed into her room, with Haley hot on her heels.

"What happened? Are you okay?" Haley asked in a concerned tone. Brooke waved her off and sat on the bed, her back facing Haley. "Brooke?"

Brooke whipped around and shot an icy glare towards her sister's way. "Look, I'm not in the mood to talk, so just please leave me alone."

"No, I won't," Haley crossed her arms, advancing towards Brooke and sitting down next to her on the bed. "Please talk to me?" She whispered, putting her around Brooke. Brooke held her stomach, trying to make sure the diary wouldn't slip out of her shirt and that Haley wouldn't notice.

"Why are you wearing a sweatshirt?" Brooke whispered harshly making Haley confused. Haley shrugged and tried to figure out what had gotten into her sister. "The heat's on in the house. It's hot in here."

"I have the chills." Haley answered simply, confused by Brooke's question. She saw Brooke roll her eyes and listened to her breathing get heavier and heavier.

And that was the final straw for Brooke. She wasn't going to let Haley dance around this anymore. "You don't have the fucking chills, Haley." She screamed standing up and grabbing Haley's arm she had wrapped around her in the process. Haley's diary fell out of her shirt but she didn't care.

"Brooke, let go," Haley said in a sharp tone, trying to tug her arm away from Brooke's death grip.

"What was it, your left arm?" Brooke snapped, digging her fingers farther into Haley's skin. "Lift up your sleeve."

"No."

"Haley lift up that fucking sleeve right now," Brooke left no time for an argument. Haley tried to wriggle free, letting out a small cry due to the pain Brooke was causing her. She couldn't find out, she couldn't have known about her cutting.

"Brooke stop," Haley cried, trying to kick Brooke in the shin to get her to try and let her go. Brooke swiftly avoided the kick and pulled Haley up by her arm. Haley barely came up to her nose so she had more power over her. She threw Haley back onto the bed where she landed on her back and proceeded to hike up the sleeve on her left arm, ignoring the hysterical protests from Haley. "Don't," she yelled, trying everything from kicking and slapping with her free arm to try and stop Brooke.

Brooke placed her foot on Haley's other arm to stop any more swatting attempts. She took a deep breath and rolled the sleeve up, turning her arm over so that her palm was facing up. And there they were. Little tiny scars plastered around her inner wrist and upper arm. Some were fading and some were visible from far away. "Haley," she gulped. Glancing at the one that stuck out the most. "When was the last time you cut yourself?" Tears trickled down both the girls' cheek as Haley gave up her fight, letting Brooke scan up and down her arm. "Answer me, Haley!"

Haley pulled her arm back down and threw her hands over her face, her fingers becoming moist from the tears falling out of her eyes. "The other day when you told me you weren't coming home."

Brooke sighed, still trying to take all this new information in at once. "Can I just ask you one question then?" Haley sniffled and nodded, preparing herself for the worst. "Why?" She whispered, looking right at her sister. "Would you do something like that to yourself? You've seen all those documentaries we watched in health class. People kill themselves with one simple cut, baby."

"You don't understand," Haley said quietly, looking down at her lap. "No one does."

"I can try. I'm pretty good at listening to people, maybe you can just give me a general explanation?" Brooke asked with a small smile, nudging Haley's shoulder with her own. "Come on, at least give me the benefit of the doubt, please?"

"No," Haley told her, standing up from the bed. She rubbed her hand up and down her injured arm and kept thinking about the horrible times she spent locked up in her room, finding comfort in the sharp razor she stashed away in her drawers. At first she was scared, scared of the blood and scared of the pain. But once she felt the rush, she wanted to do it more and more, until she couldn't stop. "It's hard to explain without me getting upset."

"Well, I'm right here, baby. You can sit right next to me and I'll hold onto you tight when you get upset." Haley shook her head and tried to fight back the tears that were forming in her dull brown eyes. "Just, tell me why you did it."

"To numb the pain," Haley finally answered after falling silent for a few minutes. "It helped me take my mind off things. The razor was my only friend up until a few months ago, Brooke. I had no one to help me with my problems because you wouldn't give me time of day. Taylor was gone and I was all alone. I was left to wallow in my pain and question my place in this world because no one told me how much I mattered to them. No one told me they loved me and how special I was to them."

"Oh, Haley, you know that's not true," Brooke said, on the verge of breaking down and yelling at her sister for cutting herself. "I tried, I tried to make your life run better after the whole Nathan thing. I really did try."

"You didn't try hard enough though," Haley finally confessed, letting the tears fall down. She watched Brooke tense up on her bed and looked at her, ready to tell her everything. "You didn't try hard enough or else my arms wouldn't look like this." Haley rolled up her sleeve and flashed the scars in Brooke's face. "They all have a different story behind them."

Brooke tried to swallow past the lump forming in her throat and pointed to a random scar on Haley's lower arm. "Fine then, what about this one? It looks like you did it recently."

Haley gazed at the scar and gulped. It was the newest scar from the night she found out Brooke wasn't coming home. "That's, that's from the other night. When I found out you weren't going to come home."

"But why?" Brooke said, her eyes finally filling up with tears. "Baby, why are you doing this to yourself? Your body doesn't deserved to be cut up and scarred just because you think no one cares about you. If you told me this before I would have came straight home and I would have fixed it. I can fix it, if you just let me help you."

"I don't want your help," Haley cried, sitting down on the floor and wrapping her arms around her legs. "You can't help me. You don't know how it feels to be rejected, to be thrown away like a worthless piece of trash. I'm obviously so horrible that no one can stand being around me. Mike left, you left and I'm sure Taylor has had enough of me. If you just let me end my life, you'd be doing me a favor."

Brooke immediately jumped from the bed and down next to Haley, grabbing her shoulders and shaking her slightly. "Hey," she snapped, looking at Haley's watery eyes. "Don't you ever say something like that, you hear me? Don't ever, ever tell me you want to end your life. Do you hear me?"

"But I do," Haley whispered, sitting up onto the bed. "I just want to slash my wrist and watch the blood drip all over the place. I want to write my last words all over my bedroom walls in my own blood. I want-"

"Haley, stop it right now." Brooke said, tears rolling down her cheeks as she placed her hand over her mouth in disgust. "It's not true. You don't want to die."

"Yes I do!" Haley yelled, finally losing it. "I want to die so bad, Brooke. I want to leave this place because I hate it so much. No one would miss me, no one would care that Haley 'Tutor' Girl James is gone. I'm just a waste of space. I take up oxygen that someone else could use. Someone who needs a heart can take mine, I can save a life and make someone happy rather than continuing living my miserable life."

At that point, Brooke could not hold her sobs in and began to cry hysterically. She had no idea where this was all coming from and she suddenly felt she was the one to blame for all this. "Haley, why do you want to die? Tell me the honest truth right now," she spat, wiping her eyes as her sister wiped her own.

"Why do I want to die?" Haley whispered, looking up at Brooke through the pieces of hair that fell in her face. "Because then I'll lose my life. I've tried to hard to win it back but I found it's impossible. It's impossible to stop doing this to myself," she said, rolling up her sleeves and flashing her scars in Brooke's face. She walked over and opened her drawer, pulling out the razor she used to scar her body. "You see this? It's the only thing that gets me through it all."

"Haley, give me that," Brooke said, taking a step towards her sister and holding out her hand for the razor. "Give it to me right now."

Haley shook her head furiously and rested the cold, sharp object on her arm. "No," she whispered harshly, gripping onto it tighter as Brooke advanced closer. "It's mine, you can't have it."

"You can't have it either," Brooke told her, her voice cracking. She wiped her tears as she watched her sister rest the razor on her skin again. "Baby, give me the razor," she said softly, taking one step closer and jerking back when Haley exploded.

"NO!" Haley yelled, her breathing becoming heavy. She didn't look up to meet Brooke's gaze. Instead she took the razor and gently moved it up and down, hitting her arm every now and then. "Please turn around."

"Oh my god," Brooke muttered, running her hands through her hair, trying to take control of the situation. "Haley, don't you dare."

"You can't stop me Brooke," Haley told her, her voice shaking heavily. She pressed the razor against her arm again and let it sit there, becoming lost as it shined in the light. "It's the only thing that helps me."

"I can help you," Brooke cried, more tears falling from her wet eyes. "Please give me the razor, please Haley. Don't do this to yourself, don't, don't do it please. I'm begging you."

Haley's breathing increased before she broke down and threw the razor on the floor "It hurts so badly, it hurts. I want to all go away, Brooke. I want the pain to stop. I didn't deserve any of this, I never did anything to anyone. I never hurt anyone, I tried to be a good girl. I never meant for any of this to happen or for me to end up so screwed up. I don't want to die, Tigger. I don't want to go anywhere, I just want you to never let me hurt myself again. I don't care if you have to wrestle the razor out my hand, just don't let me cut myself again. I can't deal with the pain anymore."

"Oh, baby," Brooke whispered, gathering Haley in her arms and holding her tight, listening to her sob on her shoulder. She stroked her hair and watched her own tears fall onto Haley's grey sweatshirt, making tiny wet circles on it. "It's okay. You're going to be okay."

"No I'm not," Haley whimpered, pulling back and wiping her eyes with her sleeves. "I'm not going to be okay. Brooke I'm broken."

Brooke sighed and fell silent for a few seconds. "Well I'm going to put you back together then," she said, mustering her best smile. Haley smiled back before hugging Brooke around the middle and thanking God that she was back for good because the next few weeks were going to be hell for her whole family.

**xxxx**

Outside of Taylor's door, Brooke rested her head against the wall, trying to get all of the new information out of her head. She wasn't sure if Taylor knew about, but from their conversation the other day, it seemed like she did.

Without even thinking, she gripped the door handle tight and shoved the door open, immediately averting her eyes when she saw Taylor and Ben lying on the bed half naked.

"Oh my god," Brooke cursed, covering her eyes with her hands and quickly turning around, listening to the embarrassing screams coming from her older sister. "Sorry," she said, shutting the door behind her.

A few seconds later the door re-opened and Taylor emerged fully clothed. "Brooke, what the hell is wrong with you? Don't you knock?" When she saw the sad look on her sister's face, all the anger in her disappeared. "What's wrong?"

"Why didn't you tell me?" Brooke asked in a whisper. Taylor was silent for a minute, trying to figure out what she was talking about. "About Haley and what she does." Brooke was careful to not let her voice rise in anger seeing as they were a few feet away from Haley's open door.

"Brooke, don't do this right now," Taylor said, trying her best to reason with Brooke. But the angry look on Brooke's face was telling her differently. "Please?"

"No," Brooke hissed back in a whisper, glaring straight at Taylor. She watched as Taylor let out a big sigh and crossed her arms. "Why the hell did you keep this from me?"

"It was her decision," Taylor told her, grabbing her arm and pulling her down the stairs with her. She sat her on the couch before taking the seat next to her. "She told me not to tell you and I respected her decision."

Brooke was trying her best not to reach over and slap her sister for hiding Haley's cutting. It was a serious issue and it needed to be addressed right away, not kept hidden. "Taylor, it's something that could possibly escalate into so much more. It's not like a broken heart which can be fixed. It's something that could possibly kill her."

And the two sisters began to bicker back and forth, unaware that the subject of their conversation of sitting on the stairs, listening to every word they had to say.

"Didn't your mother ever teach you not to eavesdrop?" Ben said with a laugh, sitting down next to Haley on the stairs. He threw his wife beater over his head and did his best to fix his messy hair. "What are they yelling about now?"

"Me," Haley whispered, feeling like the weight of the world has just crashed on her shoulders. She kept it in for so long and it felt good to let it out, but she wasn't prepared to face the consequences.

"You?" Ben asked in confusion, thinking it was some sort of friendly sisterly bickering. "Well we can talk about them if you want to get back at them. I'm sure it would make you feel better."

Haley shook her head and gazed into Ben's green eyes. He gave her a sympathetic smile and gently patted her head. "They just want what's best for you, Hales," he told her, hoping to get some sort of reaction out of her.

"Then why do I feel so ungrateful for it?" Haley asked in a shaky whisper. Ben shrugged his shoulders, letting her know he couldn't answer that for her. She felt like she didn't deserve the constant love and care she received from Taylor and Brooke. "Why do I feel like I don't deserve any of it, Ben?"

"Well," he began, trying to process the millions of thoughts running through his mind at the very second. "I think you're scared that they're not going to treat you the same way they treated you before. And I also think that you're running away from your problems and you think if you run far enough they'll all magically disappear.

"But most of all, I think you're afraid of Taylor and Brooke not accepting who you are now that they know whatever you were hiding from them. From the looks of it, they're going to be in it with you through the long haul and I think you're afraid of that."

Haley blinked, unable to find the words to come out her mouth at what her sister's boyfriend had just said. Ben noticed this and laughed. "Did I mention I have a degree in psychology?"

"No," Haley said with a small laugh. She took into consideration what he said and stood up to her feet while he did the same. "I'm going to fix this once and for all." Ben nodded and watched her slowly climb down the stairs, while he went up, feeling that it wasn't his place to sit there and listen to what the three of them were going to discuss.

Brooke and Taylor looked up from their current argument and pushed over when Haley sat herself in the middle of them. "Just stop the both of you," she cut in harshly, ignoring the looks on both of her older sister's faces.

"Haley-"

"No let me talk," Haley said as she cut Taylor off. "I am so sick of you two arguing over whose fault this is. It's not your fault," she said, turning to face Brooke. "And it's not your fault," she said, turning the other way to face Taylor. "It's my own fault. None of you are pressing the razor against my skin and cutting it."

Brooke winced at Haley's bluntness. But nevertheless she listened as Haley went on with her little tirade. "I know it's wrong, believe me I know. But you have to realize I can't just snap my fingers and make it go away. It's going to take a while to stop and I'm willing to go the distance if you're willing to stand behind me."

Taylor and Brooke both sat on the couch, speechless after Haley's little speech. They were both going to say something but quickly stopped when they saw Haley wasn't done.

"I understand if you're not willing to commit to this and it's okay. I got myself into this mess and I alone have to pull myself out of it. You two have to realize that you can't protect me from everything I encounter. I know you like to think you can, but you can't. Pain is not preventable, trust me, I've tried to prevent it but it just doesn't work. It's a part of growing up and no matter what you can't stop it.

"And I won't sit here and tell you I don't hate myself for doing this to myself, doing this to my body. I think it's pitiful and shameful that I would stoop to this level and mutilate my own body. I made the wrong choice and I'm willing to face the consequences."

"Hay," Taylor whispered as tears formed in her eyes. "I'm not going to abandon you during this. You're my responsibility and I'll never leave you to fight this on your own."

"Me too," Brooke piped up, gently poking Haley in the side. "We would be very bad big sisters if we just let out baby sister do this by herself. And I think you're going to need all the support you can get."

Haley smiled and looked at her two sisters thankfully. "What would I do without you guys?" She asked, repositioning herself so her head was resting in Brooke's lap and her feet stretched across Taylor's.

"I think you'd probably be very lost," Brooke said with a small laugh, patting Haley on the head. Taylor nodded in agreement and patted Haley's stomach.

"But don't worry, Hay, you'll be stuck with us for the rest of your life," Taylor said with a smile. "Even when I'm dead and gone you'll still have Brooke to hover over you every second of your life. And when Brooke dies…"

"I'll haunt you in your dreams," Brooke said with a proud smile. Taylor laughed, knowing it was probably true. But she felt Haley benefited from having Brooke around and hadn't seen her happy in a long time.

"I wouldn't put it past you," Haley said with a giggle, feeling like her problems had suddenly drifted away from the time being. "When we go back to school I have an appointment with the school therapist. I figure it's the only thing I can really get."

Brooke nodded and looked down at her sister's brown eyes. "You're very brave and I'm so proud of you for admitting you have a problem and finding the help for it." Haley smiled up at Brooke and gently pulled her sleeves down.

"Me too," Taylor whispered, patting Haley on the knee. "And if you ever need to talk to one of us if it makes you feel more comfortable…we'll always be here."

"Thanks guys," Haley said, sitting up between her two older sisters. She felt tears well up in her eyes and she quickly brushed them away. "Way to make me cry," she laughed, letting out a loud sniffle and wiping the stray tears that fell down her cheek.

"You cry at everything," Brooke told her with a laugh, gently ruffling her hair. "But that's okay, you're just very sensitive." Taylor nodded in agreement, taking Haley's hands in her own and fiddling with her fingers.

"We still love you anyways I guess," Taylor said sarcastically, repositioning herself to face Haley. "And plus if we didn't have you around, who else would we tease?"

"Oh god forbid," Haley said with a laugh, stretching her legs out to touch the coffee table. "I don't know, maybe you would be nice for a change?" Taylor and Brooke let out a dramatic gasp and Haley whined when a pillow connected with her head. "No, no, don't start this! Don't gang up on me."

Taylor shrugged her shoulders innocently and dropped the pillow onto the floor. "Okay, fine. As the older, more mature sister, I'll stop before anything escalates." Brooke rolled her eyes and reached over and hit Taylor in the face with the pillow. "Brooke! Are you like 5? What did I just say?"

"Yeah, Brooke!" Haley said, whacking her in the arm. "What did Taylor just say?" Brooke rolled her eyes, not amused by the alliance Taylor and Haley all of a sudden had.

"Okay, blonde police, I'm sorry," she mumbled, throwing the pillow down on the ground. Her eyes immediately widened when Haley hit her in the head. "You're dead," she told her sister as Haley ran out of the room. Taylor flopped down on the rest of the couch and smirked, listening to her two sisters argue in the kitchen.

"Haley, don't hit me!" Brooke yelled as Taylor heard a slap and a yelp. She threw a pillow over her head as she heard a few more slaps and a loud bang. Taylor let out a groan and rolled off the couch walking into the kitchen to see Brooke laughing hysterically and Haley sitting on the floor, holding the back of her head.

"Do I even want to know?" Taylor asked, lifting Haley to her feet and holding her back as she went to hit Brooke in the arm. "I do, I really want to know what happened. Brooke, what did you do to Haley?"

Brooke's eyes widened and she immediately stopped laughing. "Okay, why do you always assume it's something I did? Huh? For all you know Haley could have fallen by herself without me interfering."

"Hay, what happened?" Taylor asked, looking at Haley for the truth. Haley glared at Brooke before turning around to face Taylor.

"She dropped me on my head!" Haley yelled, whacking Brooke's shoulder when Brooke began to laugh again. "She was chasing me around the table and then she grabbed me by my waist and lifted me up. So I…bit her and then she dropped me and now my head is throbbing!"

Taylor rolled her eyes, deeming that for once it was Haley's fault and not Brooke's. "Well then honey that's your own fault." Haley's eyes widened and Brooke laughed in triumph. "If you didn't bite her your head would not be throbbing."

"See, now you know how I feel," Brooke told Haley once Taylor left the room. "It's always me who gets blamed and it's never Haley, the precious little baby who can do nothing wrong. So…ha!"

"Oh be quiet! Taylor was just trying to be nice," Haley told her, getting an evil glint in her eye. Brooke raised her eyebrows and watched in confusion as Haley stomped her foot on the ground. "Ow, Brooke!"

Haley ran out of the room with Brooke hot on her heels and jumped on the couch and on top of Taylor. "Taylor, Brooke dropped me again! She said that I didn't hit my head hard enough!"

"What?" Brooke yelled in surprise, watching Haley curl herself into Taylor's arms. "She's lying! Taylor, I didn't do anything to her. She's just mad because you took my side and not hers."

"She really did drop me!" Haley said, her voice muffled by Taylor's shoulders. Taylor raised a suggestive eyebrow and watched Brooke flop down on the couch. Taylor looked at Brooke with a smirk and motioned for her to pick up the pillow on the floor.

"It's okay, I believe you," Taylor said, trying to hide her laugh. She stood up with Haley in her arms and placed her down on the couch. Haley's eyes widened when she saw Brooke out of the corner of her eye with a pillow in hand.

"What are you guys doing? Stop looking at me like that, you're scaring me…" Haley said, trailing off when two pillows hit her at the same time. "Stop!" she whined, placing her hands over her head as Brooke and Taylor continued to beat her with the pillows. "It's not beat up on Haley day! That was yesterday, you missed it."

"Aw," Brooke said, sitting down on the couch next to Haley. "But everyday is beat up on Haley day!" Haley groaned and sat up, hoping the pillow fight would cease fire. "See, now what would we do without you, brat?"

Taylor nodded and took a seat next to Brooke. "Our lives would be pretty much dull and boring if we didn't have you to push around and make fun of. You're the spark that lights up our life…"

"Um, thanks?" Haley laughed, twiddling her thumbs. Brooke laughed and threw the pillow on the ground along with Taylor's. "I guess I would be pretty lost without you guys too," Haley said sarcastically, smiling when both her sister's looked shocked. "I'm kidding, I'm kidding! I mean who else would put up with my constant whining and complaining?" She asked, crawling further down the couch and stretching herself across Taylor and Brooke.

"No one," Brooke said, slapping her on the ass before pulling on Haley's ponytail. "And besides, where else are you going to find two people who love you as much as me and Taylor do?" Haley rolled over onto her back and shrugged. "See, nowhere."

"And no matter what, you'll always be the bratty kid sister that everyone loves and favors the most just because you're the baby," Taylor said with a small laugh. "But that's okay because it's who you are and we're pretty much used to you always getting your way."

Haley shrugged her shoulders and grinned widely. "What can I say? I'm just the most loveable person in all of Tree Hill." Brooke and Taylor laughed and gently tickled her sides, their mouths hanging open when Haley rolled off of them and fell of the couch. "Got you," she laughed, sitting up and quickly running out of the room as Brooke and Taylor got off the couch, trying to catch up to her.

* * *

Okay, I just wanted to end it on a nice happy note. Yes, I am doing a sequel and it's set 4 years into the future and I don't want to say much more because it's going to be one helluva bumpy road for these three. Anyways, please tell me what you think and as always, thanks for reading :)


	33. Throw Me a Line so I Can Anchor My Pain

**Hey guys, sorry it took so long to update. If it helps this chapter is 23 pages...it's the most angsty one out of the whole story I think. Anyways, please tell me what you think :)**

* * *

"Peyton Sawyer, look at your hair!" Brooke gushed rushing over to her best friend and admiring her perfectly straight locks. Peyton's mouth fell open in shock, not having any idea that Brooke was back. "When did you do this?"

"The other day," Peyton replied quietly before enveloping the brunette in a tight hug. "Brooke, why didn't you tell me you were back? I would have come over and spent the rest of my lame ass vacation with you!"

"Yeah, well I figured you were too busy with Jake and I had to patch things up with Haley and everyone," Brooke shrugged, linking their arms together and starting off down the hall. Brooke waved to the occasional people who noticed she was back and then began to feel self-conscious when people started to whisper. "They act like I'm freaking Madonna or something!"

"Brooke face it, you were the most popular girl in school, of course they're going to act all star struck," Peyton told her with a laugh, opening her locker and tossing a few books in. She stared past Brooke and raised her eyebrows when she saw a blonde girl that looked a lot like Taylor. "Um, what's Taylor doing here?"

"That's Haley," Brooke laughed, turning around to see her sister, who was currently staring at her feet as numerous guys in the hallway did a double take when they saw her. "Come here, Tiny Tay!" Brooke called out with a laugh, wincing when Haley hit her.

"Stop calling me that!" Haley hissed, suddenly changing the subject when she saw Peyton's hair. "Oh, I like your hair, Peyton."

"Same to you, Hales," Peyton said with a laugh, admiring the girl's new blonde locks. She always thought Haley was a beautiful girl but the blonde hair made her look hot and wasn't surprised when the guys were staring at her.

"I told you," Brooke sang out, nudging her sister with her hip and laughing when Haley's cheeks turned red. "Face it, Hales, you're an official hottie and I think every guy in this hallway wants to get with you."

"Yeah, I bet you could give Brooke a run for her money," Peyton pointed out, nudging Brooke's shoulder and catching the look of jealously that fell on her face. Haley laughed slightly and tugged at her messenger bag uncomfortably as the conversation fell into a lull. "Well, I guess I'm going to head to class, so I'll see you at lunch."

Peyton gave Brooke a quick hug and ruffled Haley's hair before she set off down the hallway; calling out her boyfriend's name and catching up to him and a few other guys from the basketball team. Brooke shrugged her shoulders when she and Haley locked eyes before she linked arms with Haley and started off down the hall.

"So, what's your first class?" Haley asked, finally breaking the silence. The two stepped to the side to avoid a traffic jam in the middle of the hallway. "Or, did you not get your schedule yet?"

"No, no, I got it," Brooke said distantly, trying to ignore the looks that both she and her sister were getting from various people. She dug through her backpack and pulled out a ruffled piece of white paper. "Let's see. I have Math first period."

"Ew," Haley wrinkled her nose in disgust and glanced over Brooke's schedule. "Well, we have English and Psychology together. I could at least catch you up in those two classes."

"Yeah, so what do you have now?" Brooke asked as the bell rang. "I'll walk you there because if I remember correctly, Mrs. Mason's room is right around the corner and I don't want to be the first person there. It would be totally weird."

"Oh," Haley began, her voice falling into a low whisper. "I actually have an appointment so you can just go ahead without me. I'll be fine," she said, mustering the best smile she could. Brooke raised her eyebrow, trying to remember what she was talking about.

"Oh, oh right," Brooke said, finally remembering that Haley had made an appointment to talk to the school therapist. "Do you want me to come with you? I'm sure Mrs. Mason won't miss me that much."

"Brooke, it's your first day back," Haley pointed out, beginning to walk down the hall towards the therapist office. "I'm fine, really. So you can go to your math class and I'll see you next period, okay?"

"Fine," Brooke pouted, wrapping her arms around Haley and patting her back. "Just stay strong. You can do this," she told her, holding one for a minute longer before letting go and smiling when Haley nodded at her confidently.

The two parted ways at the end of the hall. Haley went left while Brooke was supposed to go right. She stared at the familiar faces settling in the classroom but her mind was focused on her sister, who would be all alone talking to some stranger about her problems. Brooke was glad that Haley was getting help, but a part of her wondered what the therapist could say to her that Brooke couldn't. Taking one last look into the room, she let out a sigh and turned on her heel, heading off in the opposite direction.

**xxxx**

"I've never done this before," Haley admitted nervously, uncomfortably shifting around in the large leather chair. "I, I don't know where to start, I'm just so nervous."

"Take your time dear," the older woman sitting across from her told her. She was in her mid 50's with aging gray hair and warm face. Haley took a deep breath and tried to get herself to relax; deeming the woman in front of her seemed okay to talk to. "Why do you hurt yourself, Haley?" Haley looked taken aback at the woman's bluntness.

"I don't know," Haley replied quietly, drumming her fingers on the arms of the chair. "All my life people made decisions for me. You know, just because I was the baby they thought I was incapable of making the right decision. They would, they would always tell me what the 'right' thing to do was and I guess, I guess I just felt powerless."

The woman looked on, knowing she had hit a nerve with the teenager. She could tell that she was looking deep down and talking about things she had never talked about before. "Who made you feel powerless?" She asked, hoping Haley would continue with her current train of thought.

"My sisters," Haley whispered, trying to control the hundreds of emotions running through her mind at once. "They treat me like I'm a little kid and go out of their way to protect me from the pain and suffering I'm going to face if I don't do what's right for me. With the cutting, it, it makes me feel that I have all the power because I can control when I want to do it and where I want to do it."

"Why do you feel so powerful when you harm yourself?"

Haley shook her head, unable to find an answer for the question posed. She never knew why she felt so powerful when she dragged the sharp razor blade across her skin. Outside the door, knowing that it was incredibly wrong, Brooke slumped against the closed door and was grateful for the school's cheap wooden doors.

"Because the razor can't tell me what to do," Haley finally answered, watching the woman scribble down some notes on her yellow pad of paper that was resting in her lap. "It won't yell at me for doing whatever, it won't yell at me for not being exactly like her and it won't, it won't humiliate me when I try and ask her a question in public."

"I'm not sure I follow where you're going with this," the therapist noted, trying to put together all of Haley's thoughts. "Does this person play a role in your cutting?"

"Growing up, we were inseparable. So much in fact when I missed the cut off date for kindergarten, Brooke refused to go to school unless I could go with her. She took care of me, you know? She protected me when some girl at school was picking on me because I was younger than everyone else, she took care of me when I was sick, she, she did it all. But, but when my parents died," Haley paused, biting back her tears. "She abandoned me and never looked back."

"Is that why you turned to self harm? Because you felt abandoned?"

"For years and years I kept telling myself that it was my fault that they died. I mean, they, they were on their way to pick me up from piano that day. But anyways, back to the question, I guess I just started because the loneliness ate away at me and I really needed Brooke then. But I couldn't have her because she was off busying herself with things to take her mind off of their death."

Outside, Brooke placed her head in her hands, trying to stifle the sob that was rising in her throat. How could she be so heartless and cruel to her sister? Why was she so blind and so wrapped up in her own thing to realize that her sister, her little baby sister was hurting and that she needed her more than ever. She knew she shouldn't listen anymore but she couldn't bring herself to leave Haley, not now or not ever.

"Haley, how old were when you first cut yourself?"

"12 and a half," Haley whispered shamefully, remembering that day like it was yesterday. She knew it wasn't normal for a 12 year old girl to be cutting herself and had only learned about it from watching the Virgin Suicides with Taylor one time. "I know, what 12 year old cuts themselves, right? When you're 12, you're supposed to be experiencing with makeup and boys but I, I was thinking of ways to hurt myself and stop all this pain I felt after my parents died.

"The rest of my family seemed to get over it fine. But I, but I took it too hard, harder than everyone expected. It was so predictable too; the baby suffers the most pain because she's the closet one to her parents. I pushed them away, god, I pushed them away. Brooke pushed me away so I pushed her back and eventually the distance became too far and our relationship, our relationship was buried with our parents.

"It took them 5 years to find out about this. And I'm really surprised they didn't find out sooner. I mean the scars aren't that hard to miss and I'm pretty sure they would have seen the ones on my wrist if I flashed it in front of their eyes. But during that time they were too busy with their own lives to notice that I was hurting. I knew where they were coming from but I was too young, we were both too young to understand what was going on.

"They ignored me and that's when I found comfort in the razor. It listened to me and helped the pain go away when it broke my skin. It never once judged me and was ashamed of the person who I had become. It was my only family, but like my own family, it caused me more pain each time I cut myself. It makes me hate who I am and it makes me want to end this all right now."

"So why don't you?"

"I'm not strong enough," Haley whispered, shrugging her shoulders and wiping away the copious amounts of tears that were falling down her pale cheeks. "I never will be."

"Let's go back to your sister, Brooke. How did she change after your parents died?"

"She just did," Haley muttered, shrugging her shoulders and trying to recount the many ways Brooke had changed. "She wasn't the same old, Brooke, you know? Before, she was this, she was this amazing person who would always be in a cheery mood, no matter what had happened that day. She'd always be so excited to see me at the end of the day and couldn't wait to get home to tell me all about her day and how so and so winked at her at lunch. We always did everything together. She'd let me tag along with her friends sometimes when I didn't have anything else to do, she'd treat me like a friend not just some annoying tag a long little sister.

"I remember this one time when I was 8, I had to get my tonsils out and Brooke convinced my Mom to let her stay in the hospital with me while I recovered. She'd tell the nurses that they didn't have to come back to keep checking on me, that she'd do it herself and they didn't need to worry. For 3 days we just watched TV and ate ice cream and she would fill me in on everything that was going on at home. I of course couldn't talk that much, but somehow I think that was okay with her.

"Then, then my parents died and it was all of a sudden it was like, get the hell away from me, I hate you. And I think she did hate me for a while. If it wasn't for me, my parents would probably still be here right now and Brooke would still be the same big sister I had when we were little. The sad part is that I've stopped trying to figure out what I did wrong and just blamed her for my problems."

The older woman nodded her head back and forth, obviously pleased with Haley's ability to just open up like that on her very first session. Usually it took most patients at least 3 or 4 to even start to talk about what was bothering them. But Haley was different, and she was pretty sure there was a lot more the blonde girl was hiding inside of her.

"Haley, do you blame Brooke for your cutting?"

"I can't," Haley whispered, finally giving up the fight to keep the tears in. Brooke let out a sigh of relief from the outside and cracked a small smile. "But If I say I don't, then I'm just lying. I don't want to blame her because it's not her that's doing this to my body. It's not her mutilating my arms and it's not her wishing my life away. But it's her that made me this way and I think, I think if she, I think if she would just realize how much she hurt me over these past years I'd be able to move on."

"It's not that simple, Haley," the therapist told her, glancing at the clock and realizing the session was over. "We're out of time for this week, but how about we schedule an appointment for the same time next week?"

"Okay," Haley said with a small smile, wiping the tears away. She grabbed her bag and opened the door, her heart stopping when she saw Brooke scramble to her feet. "What, what are you doing here?"

"Haley, I was just-"

"I told you I didn't want you to come, Brooke!" Haley yelled, all the anger and rage she had inside from Brooke's absence had suddenly become too much for her to handle. "That was private, I, I can't believe you were listening!"

"I just wanted to make sure you were okay," Brooke told her quietly, looking down at her feet. Maybe she went a little too far, but she was only looking out for Haley's best interest. "Do, you really blame me for all of this?"

"You're not supposed to know," Haley whispered, locking eyes with her teary eyed sister. "I don't want to blame you."

"But you do," Brooke snapped, grabbing her backpack off the floor and flinging it over her shoulders. "Fine, blame me, I don't give a fuck."

Haley sighed heavily when Brooke pushed past her, taking off down the hall as fast as she could. The bell rang and Haley realized she was going to get stuck between everyone changing classes and decided to run after her, calling out her name as she got closer.

"Brooke, wait!" Brooke continued to ignore her sister's calling and pushed the front door of the school open, flying down the front stairs and turning the corner to where her car was parked. "Brooke! Will you just wait?"

"I have nothing to say to you, Haley," Brooke said, whipping around to face her sister. "What did I ever do to you that was so horrible? What did I say to make you do this to yourself?"

"You have no clue, do you?" Haley said in disbelief, rolling here eyes for some sort of effect. "Last year you made my life a living hell. Do you know how hard it was to wake up every single day wondering what you were going to do to me next? Jesus, Brooke, you acted like I was an embarrassment and that you hated having me around."

"Don't, don't bring that up."

"I'm going to," Haley spat, standing toe to toe with her sister, finally letting the words explode out of her. "Whenever, whenever you saw me at school you, you just glared at me like I had some sort of problem, like I was diseased or something. Where were you when your friends made fun of me? Huh? Where the hell were you, where the hell were you when Nathan tried to rape me?"

"That, that was not my fault!" Brooke yelled, outraged that Haley would say such a thing. "I didn't know he was going to do that to you, Haley!"

"Would you have pretended that you didn't know me and kept walking past the room while he tried to take my clothes off?" Haley said, her tone cold and resentful.

"What, what do you want me to say to you Haley?" Brooke asked, breaking into a sob. "Do you want me to apologize for every single time I hurt you?" Haley nodded her head in all seriousness. "Fine, then. I am so god damn sorry that I made your life a living hell and I am so god damn sorry that I pushed you away, and I am so damn sorry for making you hurt yourself."

"It's not going to make things any better," Haley told her coldly. "These scars aren't going to go away just because you're sorry."

"What, what do you want me to do, Haley?" Brooke wondered, sniffling heavily and wiping the pools of tears falling from her eyes. Haley stood there emotionless, daring her to say another word. "What do you want me to do?"

"I don't know, Brooke," Haley said quietly, looking down at her feet before looking back up at Brooke. "I think you should figure that one out for yourself."

"I think I should slap some sense into you," Brooke spat, glaring right down into Haley's brown eyes. "But, I'm not going to because I don't want you to run home and slash your wrists again."

"Shut up, shut up," Haley yelled at her, pushing her backwards. "You, you don't know anything about it! You don't know what it's like to feel that razor drag across your skin and make these god damn fucking marks on your body!"

"How do you know?" Brooke yelled back, pushing Haley back as if they were little kids fighting on the playground. "How do you know that?"

"You just don't," Haley told her simply, shaking her head from side to side. "And you never will because you're perfect, Brooke, you're just so damn perfect."

"I know what it feels like," Brooke whispered shamefully, turning away to avoid Haley's look. Haley stared at her sister before trying to understand what she was getting at.

"What?"

"I said I know what it feels like!" Brooke screamed, unzipping her jacket and tossing it onto the cold sidewalk. She rolled up her sleeve as far as it went and exposed her arm, her finger immediately going to the scar on her upper arm. "Don't you ever tell me I don't know what it feels like." Haley gulped and glanced at the scar that mirrored her own.

"When, when did you do that?" Haley asked her quietly, watching Brooke retrieve her fallen jacket and put it back on. "Why did you do that?"

"Well let's see," Brooke began, bitterness laced in her tone. "When your boyfriend cheats on you with a slut, when your older brother leaves town without a word, when your older sister hides the biggest secret of her life and when, and when your little sister turns into someone you used to be, you kind of get where I'm going with this right? When I found out Lucas cheated on me, I didn't know what I was going to do. You were on some 'leave me alone' kick and Taylor was just plain gone. So I took, I took the razor and just cut my arm because I wanted to bleed all the pain away. Eventually the pain stopped, but I'll always be reminded of that day because I've got this scar to show for it."

Haley fell silent for a minute, still trying to take in all the information. Brooke stood there, wrapping her arms around her body and trying to stop herself from shivering in the cold. They both stood there speechless, unwilling to give into one another and apologize.

"You," Haley began, finally breaking the never-ending silence. "You fucking hypocrite," she yelled, staring straight through Brooke's moist eyes. She was emotionless, surprisingly keeping dry eyes through all of this. "I can't believe you."

"Haley stop," Brooke told her harshly, glaring right back at her. "Shut your mouth right now. Don't call me a hypocrite."

"That's what you are!" Haley yelled louder, running her hands through her hair. "I, I, I can't believe you, Brooke! All this time you were telling me I needed to stop when you were hiding this? Leave me alone, leave me alone right now."

"I'm not going to leave you alone-"

"I hate you, Brooke, I hate you," Haley told her in rage, "I hate you! I hate you for all those times you did this to me, I hate you for ruining my life! I, I hate you," she said, her voice dropping into a low whisper. "I want, I want you to stay out of my life."

"Haley-"

"No, I mean it, I'm serious, get away from me. I don't ever want to see you again," Haley continued, un-fazed by the look of shock and sadness on Brooke's teary face. Brooke reluctantly nodded her head, letting the words ring through her head.

Brooke turned around and took one last look at her sister before walking towards her car that was just feet away. Haley turned around and walked the opposite way, obviously not going back to school. Brooke opened the door and slipped in, immediately bursting into a hysterical sob as she remembered the words, those exact words she said to two people right before they died.

"Brooke, how many times do I have to tell you this?" Lydia began, cutting up the vegetables for the salad she was making. "I don't care if Theresa told you to do it; you just don't go around shoving people to the ground. Especially when it's your own sister."

"_Mom, you just don't get it!" 13-year old Brooke said, rolling her eyes as she pretended to do her homework. "Theresa is the most popular girl in school, Mom. And I'm her friend and if someone won't leave us alone, I'm going to have to do something about it."_

"_That, Brooke, that's just plain wrong!" Lydia told her, tossing the cucumbers into the bowl and turning around to face her daughter. "Once Haley gets home from her piano lesson you are going to apologize to her. And then you're going to spend the rest of the weekend in your room wishing you would have treated your little sister better."_

"_That's not fair!" Brooke exclaimed, throwing her pencil down onto her notebook. "No one else has their little sister in the same grade as them! It's so annoying, Mom, you don't even get it, do you?"_

"_How is that annoying?" Lydia asked with a raised eyebrow. "How is having Haley in your grade annoying? Please, please enlighten me, Brooke." _

"_Because, it just is," Brooke told her simply, making a face when her mother rolled her eyes. "How would you like it if your little sister was in all of your classes? Oh, Haley, she's so smart and everyone loves her the most because she's the baby."_

"_Oh, are we back to this conversation again?" Lydia said, becoming slightly annoyed with Brooke's immatureness. "Brooke, for the last time, your father and I love all of our children the same. We don't love Haley more just because she's the baby."_

"_Then why are you always yelling at me when she gets upset?" Brooke asked, looking at her mother straight in the eye. "Everything I do is my fault and it's never her fault!"_

"_That's because most of the time it is your fault, Brooke!" Lydia snapped, losing all of her patience. "If you and Taylor would just leave the poor girl alone and stop picking on her then maybe your father and I wouldn't have to keep punishing you."_

_Brooke let out a frustrated sigh and slammed her math book shut, obviously giving up on the rest of the problems she had to do. Her mother gave her a warning look to wipe the pout of her face, but Brooke ignored her and went on with her little tirade._

"_She, she's just a pain in my ass!" Brooke yelled, immediately regretting it when her mother's eyes widened in shock. "I, I didn't mean to say that, I swear."_

"_Brooke, my patience with you is running thin," Lydia warned as Jimmy came in once he heard the yelling from the bottom of the stairs. She glanced at the clock and sighed. "I, I have to go get your sister, Brooke, we'll finish this when I come back."_

"_What are you two arguing about now? I can hear you all the way in the bedroom," Jimmy pointed out; turning away to avoid the death glare his wife was giving him. Brooke rolled her eyes and gathered her books in her arms, proceeding to walk out of the kitchen. "Hey, Brooke, don't walk away from your mother."_

"_Yes, I will walk away from her. Go pick up your precious Haley at her lesson because God knows you just bend over backwards to give her whatever she wants!" Brooke spat; stomping halfway up the stairs and turning around when she realized her parents were right behind her on the landing.  
_

"_For the last time, Brooke," Lydia began, "We cannot afford to buy you a new wardrobe just because Theresa told you that your clothes were out of date. With your brother in college, it's just, it's just not possible right now."_

"_But you can afford to give Haley piano lessons?" Brooke shot back, her eyes filling up with tears. Both Jimmy and Lydia sighed and glanced at each other before looking back up at the tearful brunette. "She's your baby and she gets whatever she wants."_

"_Brooke, please," Jimmy cut in before his wife could explode. _

"_No!" Brooke yelled at the top of her lungs. "I, I can't stand it here anymore! I hate you guys, and I, I hate Haley! I want you all out of my life and I never, ever want to talk or see you guys again!" _

**xxxx**

"Penny for your thoughts?" Ben asked with a small laugh, plopping down next to Taylor on the couch. Taylor sighed and fiddled with the engagement ring, moving it up and down her finger. "What are you thinking about?"

"Sometimes, I guess sometimes I just realize what I would do if I had to raise a 4 year old along with two 17 year olds," Taylor began in a low whisper. "Maybe it's best that she's up in heaven, you know?"

"Tay, you have to stop blaming yourself for this," Ben told her softly, brushing her hair out of her face. "It was the best option, you giving her up for adoption."

"My parents didn't even know I was pregnant," Taylor said, her voice cracking and her eyes filling up with tears. "They died before she was born and after that, after that I just couldn't handle the thought of raising this child alone. And then Dan, well Dan just made things worse because that's who he is."

Ben wrapped his arms around her and stroked her hair as she cried into his shoulder. He knew how sensitive Taylor got when she started talking about Emily. They sat in silence, besides Taylor's small sobs and Ben's attempt to calm her down. They were quickly thrown apart when the front door flung open and Haley stormed in with a huff.

"Hay, what are you doing home?" Taylor asked, quickly wiping her eyes and staring at her sister. "Don't tell me you're skipping school again."

"I hate her!" Haley yelled, throwing her bag across the room and trying to rid her mind of Brooke. "Taylor, I, I hate Brooke!" She stuttered, pulling at her long, blonde hair before flipping it behind her ears. "I hate her, Taylor."

"What did she do to you?" Taylor asked softly, standing up to her feet and walking over to Haley. She tried to pull her into a hug but Haley simply pushed her back and crossed her arms. "Haley, I can't help you if you don't tell me what happened."

"She ruined my life," Haley spat, letting out a groan when Ben stood up to his feet and walked towards them. "No, don't you come near me! You, you don't even know me!"

"Haley!" Taylor snapped, grabbing her sister's arm and violently leading her into the kitchen. "What the hell is going on with you? Don't be rude to him! You better have a damn good reason as to why you're not in school right now."

"Brooke, she, she sat outside and listened to what I said to the therapist, Taylor! She heard it all and she heard me blame her for my cutting…"

"Oh, Hay," Taylor whispered, pulling Haley into a tight hug and rubbing her hand up and down Haley's back. "That's not right."

"I know!" Haley said, her voice muffled from Taylor's shoulder. Taylor let out a sigh and heard the front door open and close, knowing Ben had left again. She pulled back from the embrace so she could look at her sister.

"No, Haley, that's not right for you to blame Brooke," she said, biting her lip when Haley's mouth fell open. "Why, why would you blame Brooke for hurting yourself? I know she used to give you a hard time, but she never told you to do this."

"She never stopped me from doing it either," Haley replied lightly, still in bitchy mode from when she yelled at Brooke. "I could blame you, but I don't. Or, do you want me to blame you instead, Brooke?"

"Listen you little brat," Taylor spat, blown away by Haley's accusations. "We've done nothing but try and help you through this all! I don't understand why you're so bitter about this all. You said yourself you wanted to get help, but now, what's with all the resentment?"

Haley fell silent as she took a seat on the kitchen chair. She drummer her fingers on the table and forced her head down, not having the strength to lock eyes with her oldest sister. Maybe it was all the years of jealously and resentment she had towards both of her sisters. She had stuffed it all down, thinking she had no reason to have those feelings towards them.

"You know how pathetic I was growing up?" Haley finally spoke, lifting her head so she could look at Taylor. "My only friend was the bastard son of Dan Scott, and that was on the days he would talk to me. My _mother_ was my best friend, and my sisters, well my sisters they were just the greatest thing since sliced bread I guess."

"Haley, Haley what are you talking about?" Taylor asked, her voice dropping into a concerned tone. Haley shrugged her shoulders and got up to her feet and began to pace around the semi-large kitchen. "Hay, talk to me."

"My life consisted of going to school, getting humiliated by my own sister, coming home and crying to my mother about it. Sometimes she comforted me and yelled at Brooke, sometimes she just rolled her eyes and ignored me. You, well, where were you, Taylor?"

"I know it was hard for you," Taylor began, closing her eyes when Haley quickly cut her off before she went to speak again.

"No you don't! You don't know how hard it was for me, you don't know," Haley whispered, refusing to let herself cry. "Everytime I tried to talk to you when you were home, you just kicked me out of your room and told me to leave you alone. It hurt me so bad when you and Brooke would gang up on me and make fun of me for whatever reason it was that day.

"It was hard enough getting made fun of at school, but to come home to it? It was horrible, Taylor, it was so damn horrible that there were times when I didn't want to come home. But I did, and you know why?" Taylor shook her head and felt tears prick in the corner of her eyes. "Because Mom said it would get better and that you guys were just having a bad day. How many bad days did you guys have? I lost count when it became a regular thing."

"Hales," Taylor tried again, gulping when Haley looked up at her, waiting for her to speak. "I don't think you realize how hard it was on us. Do you know how much trouble we, I especially, got in? Every little thing we said or did to you we would get in trouble for. It just got to a point where Mom would just yell at us for no reason sometimes.

"All day long all we heard was, 'leave your sister alone, she's not like you two.' Then Dad, Dad would give it to us good because we 'hurt' his precious little Haley-bub." Haley shrugged her shoulders, trying to choke back her sob. "You hurt the baby, don't hurt the baby, she never did anything wrong. The baby this, the baby that. That's what he called you, Haley. Honestly, I'm surprised that me or Brooke didn't end up this way."

"Ended, ended up in what way?" Haley asked quietly, suddenly feeling like she used to be when was younger. Taylor exhaled angrily, and threw her hands up in the air.

"I'm surprised neither of us ended up hurting ourselves," Taylor told her bluntly, showing no remorse for the words she was saying. "And, and here you are blaming us for something we do."

"I didn't mean to-"

"Of course not! You never mean to do anything," Taylor yelled, "you never meant to tell my first boyfriend that I wasn't in love with him, you never meant to tell Mom that I was sneaking in and out of the house, and you never, you never meant to blame Brooke and I for cutting yourself. What are you going to do now, Haley?"

"I don't know," Haley cried, flinching as Taylor's face became inches way from her own.

"Are you going to run and tell Mommy?" Taylor spat, continuing on with her little rampage. "Well you can't do that because she's fucking dead!" After she uttered those exact words, Taylor immediately froze in her position. She watched Haley tense up and finally burst into tears. "Hay, Hay, I am so sorry I didn't mean to-"

It was too late. By the time Taylor tried to finish her sentence, Haley was already out the door and probably halfway down the street by now.

**xxxx**

Brooke stared at the river blankly, shivering as the cold wind whipped through her hair, making it fall all over her face. But she didn't care. She had been standing at the rivercourt for at least 3 hours and was pretty sure she was frozen to the bone by now.

After Haley stormed off, Brooke sat in her car for a few hours, just thinking about the hurtful words and how she had said the same thing to her parents.

She glanced down at her watch and sighed. School had let out about an hour or so ago and Taylor would probably be wondering where both her younger sisters were. But she couldn't go home, not just yet. She was going to sit on the cold grass and just watch the water until she felt she could face Haley again.

"Brooke?" A deep voice came from behind her, making her jump. She turned around to see Lucas coming towards her with a basketball in his hand. "What, what are you doing here?"

"I don't know," she whispered, shrugging her shoulders for the truly confused look. "Look, Lucas, I just want to be alone right now."

"Well," Lucas began, taking a seat on the grass next to her. "This is where we play basketball and pretty soon the guys are going to come down and we're going to have to interrupt your little alone time."

"It's the middle of January," Brooke snipped, rolling her eyes. "Who plays basketball outside in the winter time? That's the stupidest thing I've ever heard."

"I'm going out on a limb here, but is something bothering you?" Lucas wondered, trying his best to ignore all of his ex-girlfriend's comments. "You're not your normal cheery self today. Do you want to talk?"

"No. I'd rather sit here by myself and not talk about it," Brooke told him simply, letting out a heavy sigh. Lucas chuckled softly, thinking she was kidding. She sent him a glare and he immediately shut up, throwing the basketball up and down. "I had a fight with Haley today, okay?"

"Sorry," he whispered, throwing her his best sympathetic look. "What was it about?"

"She just wants me out of her life, Luke. That's all I can tell you, I've already screwed up enough as it is. So that's why I'm here because I'm afraid to go home and have her bitch me out again. Now, if you wouldn't mind, can you just leave me alone?"

"Brooke, come on," he urged her to continue, gently prodding her shoulder. "Don't do this again. Don't shut people out like this."

"No offense, Lucas, but you're probably the last person I want to talk to right now," Brooke snapped at him, letting out a sigh and trying to avoid the chill the wind brought to her body. "You broke my heart, do you know that?"

"I'm sorry," Lucas whispered, trying to meet her gaze. "But, Brooke, after Nathan tried to rape Haley, you, you pushed me away. I didn't know what to do and I got angry and I'm sorry for ever making you choose between us."

"Well it's a little too late for that now," Brooke said, "Haley needed me and you, you of all people should have understood." She turned her head to side and caught his eye, knowing that she had struck a nerve. "Nathan trying to hurt her, it was just some sort of wake up call for me. I realized how, I realized how horrible I was to her and maybe, just maybe if I had been home that night, I could have stopped it all from happening."

"No one knew he was going to do that," Lucas told her softly, watching the tears fall down her cheek. "Come on, you can't blame yourself for this, Brooke. It's no one's fault but Nathan's."

"You said it was Haley's fault," Brooke reminded him, glaring right at him. "You said she was probably making it up because she wasn't as innocent as she seemed. I mean, god, what the hell is your problem, Lucas?"

"I'm sorry," he tried again, hoping this time it would get through to her. But instead, Brooke shook her head and turned away, obviously down with this conversation. "Wait, come on, Brooke, will you just talk to me?"

Before Brooke could respond, the two heard footsteps from behind them. Turning their heads in synchronization, they found Haley standing behind them, breathing heavily and looking like she had just been to hell and back. Brooke felt a lump form in her throat and she watched Lucas get up to greet the girl.

"Hey, Hales, long time no see," he started softly, tossing the basketball aside and walking over to the petite girl with open arms. "How've you been?"

"Lucas, don't," Brooke warned, springing to her feet in attempt to stop the blonde from making the biggest mistake of his life. "She's not…" she trailed off when she saw Haley push Lucas away from her.

"Don't hug me," Haley told him sharply, watching a look of confusion dance on his pale face. Brooke let out a sigh and kept her distance, not wanting to start World War 3 again.

"I, I haven't seen you in a while," Lucas started, trying to explain what he thought was going to be a kind gesture. "I miss you, buddy." Haley looked at him oddly before shaking her head in disbelief.

"We're not friends, Lucas!" Haley yelled, watching his eyebrows knit in confusion. Brooke kept her distance, a sigh escaping her lips when Haley threw her arms up in the air, her jacket riding up and exposing the scars she had on her stomach. "When's the last time I had a conversation with you?"

"Okay, so it's been a while. I guess we've been both really busy," Lucas said, shrugging his shoulders. "Haley, what's the matter with you?"

Brooke made a face and immediately took a step back, knowing that Haley was going to explode and all hell was going to break loose right then and there. Haley fell silent for a minute and Lucas waited for her to go on, not taking his eyes off of her.

"What's the matter with me?" Haley spat, feeling her breathing speed up. "Do you really want to know what's the matter with me, Lucas?"

"Yeah, Haley, I do," Lucas said, a little harsher than he should have. Haley looked at Brooke, who turned away, before looking back at her once best friend. "What's gotten into you? Why are you acting, so, so cold?"

"Because I couldn't hold it in anymore," Haley admitted, her voice void of any emotion. "Everyone knows my secret so there's no point of pretending I'm okay. Isn't that right, Brooke? Why don't you tell Lucas everything I told the school therapist."

"Haley, don't drag me into this," Brooke whispered painfully, trying her best not to lunge forward and attack her sister. "You're going to need to tell him yourself."

"Tell me what?" Lucas finally asked, looking towards each sister in confusion. "Why are you two all of a sudden bitching at each other again? What the hell is going on-"

"I cut myself," Haley said blatantly, her face expressionless and her tone crystal clear. Brooke gulped and tried not to think about it, although it was hard considering everytime she looked at Haley she wanted to cry. Lucas' mouth fell open and Haley couldn't help but snicker. "Yeah, I know, how surprising?"

"What? Hales, why?" Lucas stuttered, looking back at Brooke for reassurance. When Brooke nodded her head he felt his heart sink at the sight of his former best friend. "How come? Haley, why would you do this to yourself?"

"I just do," Haley whispered, feeling her blood began to boil as she looked at Lucas straight in the eye. "Everyone, everyone humiliated me in school and you, you never did anything to stop it, Lucas! When, when Brooke and her god damn ho posse made my life a living hell, you just stood away and watched me suffer."

"No, I, I tried to get them to stop!" Lucas yelled back, trying to control his temper. "Every single day I told your sister to leave you alone, I told her that you didn't deserve it, Hales!"

"Then why did you give up so easily?" Haley asked, trying to brush off the tears that were forming in her eyes. "Why did you just sit and watch fall apart?" Lucas fell silent, letting her know she did not have an answer for him. "You didn't try hard enough!"

Brooke let out a small sigh, watching as Lucas and Haley stared at each other down, Haley making no effort to back down from the intense staring contest. Lucas meanwhile tried to brush Haley's words off, thinking about all the times he tried to get Brooke to stop picking on Haley. But maybe Haley was right; maybe he just gave up too easily.

"Haley," Lucas started off with, finally finding his voice. "I, I wasn't, I didn't mean for that to happen. Come on, Hales, you know how hard I tried. We're best friends, you're like a daughter to my mom and she, she really misses you."

"Do you know, do you know what I used to do everyday after school when I would be humiliated?" Haley said, her voice in a low whisper. "There was this one time, there was this one time when Theresa harassed me right in front of you and Brooke. And, you, Lucas, all you did was watch me, you watched me break down right then and there and then you walked away with Brooke and pretended like you didn't know me.

"I've got scars from that day. And I'm not just talking about emotional, I'm talking about three or four scars that will be permanently marked on my body and will always remind me of the day my best friend turned his back on me. You never, you never even asked if I was okay, Lucas. You never said a word about it."

"I'm sorry," Lucas said, his voice cracking and on the verge of tears. "I never meant-"

"No!" Haley screamed, making Lucas flinch back in fear. "No one ever means anything, huh? No one means to make fun of me, no one means to stare at me like I'm some sort of mutated monster, and no one, and no one means to make me cut myself."

"Oh, Haley, come on that's not fair," Brooke finally broke in, watching as Lucas looked at his feet in shock. "I think you've blamed enough people for your own problems."

"Be quiet, Brooke!" Haley yelled, glaring right at her sister. "It's your fault, it's Taylor's fault, it's Lucas' fault, it's everyone's fault that I hurt myself!"

"No it is not!" Lucas finally said, breaking up the staring match between the two sisters. "It's your own god damn fault you cut yourself, Haley. It's not Brooke or Taylor's fault. Yeah, maybe it could be my fault because I ignored you, but don't you dare blame Brooke for what you do to yourself."

"Don't tell me how to feel!" Haley snapped, thrusting him backwards. "You don't know me, Lucas! You don't know how many nights I spent alone because you were too busy fucking your girlfriend down the hall! And then, and then when she started spending time with me, you, you went and fucked the next best thing, huh? Do you know how much you hurt, Brooke? Do you have any idea what she did? She-"

Brooke found herself running forward and quickly clasping her hand over Haley's mouth. Lucas stared at both of them in confusion and watched Brooke keep her hand firmly over Haley's mouth for fear that she was going to spill her secret to him.

"Lucas," Brooke whispered, motioning for him to get going. "I think, I think you should just go. It's just best for all three of us." Lucas nodded his head slowly and picked up his basketball and walked past the two James girls, not even saying a word to Haley. Haley removed Brooke's hand and began to walk away in a huff.

"So, are you planning on bitching out the whole town?" Brooke asked as Haley began to walk away. Haley stopped in her tracks and let out a small sigh before turning around.

"I figure since I'm on a roll…" Haley said, gnawing at her bottom lip and trying to keep her distance from Brooke. She was still angry with her from what happened earlier and wasn't ready to forgive her just yet. "I'm just going to get going."

"Haley, wait," Brooke said before Haley could say another word. "I know you're mad-"

"Mad?" Haley questioned, shaking her head. "Brooke, I'm more like furious."

"And you have every right to be," Brooke agreed, finding herself inching closer and closer to Haley. "But, but I was just making sure you were okay. I guess, I guess I just felt a little hurt that you couldn't talk to me about it."

"I need professional help, not sisterly help," Haley told harshly, turning away to avoid the hurt look on Brooke's face. "You can't help me with this, Brooke. No matter how hard you try."

"You're right," Brooke whispered, patting Haley on the shoulder while she walked by her. "Well, I'll leave you alone. I'm not supposed to be in your life right now," she finished on a bitter note, not bothering to give Haley a chance to explain herself.

**xxxx**

"Haley?" Taylor said frantically once the front door open. She lunged to her feet and couldn't help but sigh when she saw Brooke walk in the living room. "Oh, Brooke, do you have any idea where Haley is?"

"Taylor, Haley and I aren't exactly on speaking terms," Brooke whispered, looking at her older sister sadly. "Why, what happened?"

"I said the most horrible thing ever," Taylor cried, sniffling heavily while the tears rolled down her cheek. "Brooke, is she okay? I didn't mean to, it just slipped out."

"Taylor, what, what did you say?" Brooke asked her sister, gently leading her over to the couch and sitting down next to her. She waited for Taylor to regain her composure and gestured for her to go on. "Tay? What happened?"

"She blamed me, she blamed us for her cutting," Taylor began, wiping her eyes, "and I totally lost it and told her off. And then I said, I said that she can't run and go tell Mom because she's dead. Then she ran out and that was over 4 hours ago."

"Oh, Taylor," Brooke mumbled, reaching over and wrapping her arms around her sister. "She's just, she's just going through a tough time now. I saw her earlier and she, she blew up at Lucas. She told me, she told me that she wanted me out of her life."

"I'm sure she doesn't mean that," Taylor told her softly, pulling back so she could see Brooke. "Like you said, she's just going through a rough time. But, Brooke, why did you listen to her session?"

"I don't know," Brooke whispered, wiping away the tear the fell down her cheek. "I guess, I guess I just couldn't face the fact that I couldn't fix the problem. And it only makes me feel worse that she blames me for hurting herself."

Taylor sighed and ran her hands through Brooke's hair, trying to think of comforting things to say. They fell silent for a few moments and botch flinched back when the front door flew open and Haley appeared in the doorway, looking like a lost little girl.

"Oh, Hay, thank god you're home," Taylor blew out, walking over to Haley and enveloping her into a hug. "I'm so, so, so sorry. I didn't mean to say that, I was just mad, and you caught me at the wrong time."

"Save it, Taylor," Haley mumbled, releasing herself from Taylor's grip and pushing past her before heading up the stairs without another word. Taylor and Brooke exchanged a look and sighed, both at a loss for what to do.

"We really screwed up this time," Brooke sighed, her eyes following Taylor as she plopped down on the couch beside her. "For the first time in my life, I, I feel like we can't fix this."

"I don't think we can," Taylor whispered truthfully, giving Brooke's shoulder a gentle squeeze. "It's her own choice to come to us, we can't, we can't just make this all go away. I know it's hard to watch her go through this pain…"

Brooke ran a frustrated hand through her hair and began to pace around the room, her gut instinct telling her that something was wrong. Taylor let out a breathless sigh and flopped onto her back, looking up at the ceiling and occasionally sending Brooke a weird look.

"I think," Brooke began, but soon stopped when she started for the stairs. Taylor shrugged her shoulders and continued to stare at the ceiling while Brooke ran down the hallway and stopped at the bathroom door, gripping its handle tightly.

When she pushed the door open, she stopped dead in her tracks as she saw Haley sitting on the toilet seat, a razor gripped tightly in her hand. Brooke froze in her position and gulped when Haley met her gaze. Haley quickly straightened up on the toilet seat and threw the razor down on the ground.

"I didn't do anything," she whispered, a glazed look forming in her eyes. Brooke shut the door behind her and bent down to pick up the razor, discarding it in the trash to prevent anymore future injuries for now. "I wasn't going to."

"I should hope not," Brooke told her a bit harsher than she wanted to. Haley sighed and placed her head in her hands before looking up to see Brooke taking a seat on the floor next to the toilet. "Haley, why are you doing this to yourself?"

"Brooke, I can't talk about this right now," Haley replied curtly, biting on her bottom lip so hard that it was threatening to draw blood. "I can't talk to you right now."

"I'm not going anywhere, Hales," Brooke said, looking up at her sister and nodding her head back and forth. "Not until you talk to me."

"Then I'll leave," Haley muttered, rising to her feet and letting out a small gasp when she felt Brooke's arm around her ankle. "Brooke, stop being a psycho and let me go!"

"Not until you talk to me!" Brooke yelled, letting out an exasperated sigh when Haley wriggled free. "You can't shut us out like this!" Haley fell silent, knowing Brooke had a point but she couldn't bring herself to talk about it. "Hales, talk to me, please."

Haley slumped down next to Brooke and rested her head against the wall, trying to get her thoughts to stop running 100 miles an hour through her head. Brooke looked at her pleadingly and Haley closed her eyes, trying to get her head straight.

"What do you want me to say, Brooke?" Haley wondered, looking straight at her sister. "That I'm sorry for the things I said to you?" Brooke shrugged before nodding her head. Haley fiddled with her fingers before shaking her head, causing Brooke to look at her in shock. "Brooke, I don't want you out my life, I just want you to lay off me for a while."

"I just want to help you," Brooke admitted, tears pricking from the corner of her eyes.

"You want to help me?" Haley asked softly, trying not to cry when she saw the tears roll down Brooke's cheek. "Tell me why you did all those horrible things to me." Brooke looked at her hesitantly and Haley sighed. "Please, Brooke? I really need to know."

"I was jealous," Brooke finally admitted, wiping away the few remaining tears she had left. "You, you came too soon. I know that's not your fault, but as I got older, I realized that could have been me getting away with everything. I mean, Haley, I was just about 9 months old when you were born. I didn't know I had a baby sister and I didn't know all the hell we were going to go through when we got older.

"Sometimes I just hate myself for doing all that stuff to you and I wish I can take it back, but I can't. The damage has already been done and maybe it is my fault that you cut yourself, maybe if I was nicer, you wouldn't be in this position. We would be happy and not be sitting here having this conversation." Brooke sighed heavily and buried her head in her hands, letting a fresh set of tears fall down her face. "Haley, I never meant for this to happen, I never wanted you to end up hurting yourself."

Haley felt her own tears fall down her cheeks and she couldn't help but feel sorry for Brooke. All their life, Brooke was the strong one and all the stuff that happened to them never seemed to faze her at all. Haley on the other hand would dwell on it for days on end and try to snap out of it, but no matter how hard she tried, she could never pull herself out of the hole she dug for herself. She turned to the razor for comfort, for a sense of companionship when Brooke abandoned her.

"Why didn't you just tell me?" Brooke asked her, trying to keep herself calm through this whole ordeal. "Haley, if I knew you were cutting yourself, I would have, I would have tried to help earlier on. I never meant to do this to you."

"I was too afraid to ask for help," Haley whispered, mustering the best smile she could when Brooke looked at her through her watery eyes. Haley sniffled slightly and pushed on. "And I did try to tell you once. But, you, you told me to tell it to someone who cares," her voice broke; remembering that night like it was yesterday. "They had just died, Brooke and you were already moving on and pushing me away."

"I had to push you away," Brooke admitted, closing her eyes and hating herself for her past actions. "It was the only way I could deal. I figured, I figured if I could watch you suffer, I could, I could move on and pretend everything would be okay."

"Everything wasn't alright, Brooke!" Haley screamed, tears pouring down her face. "You wanted to watch me suffer? Was that to get back at me for all those years I got you into trouble with Mom and Dad?" Haley felt her stomach churn when Brooke looked down at her lap, nodding her head shamefully. "How could you do something like that?"

"I can't deal with pain, Haley!" Brooke yelled back, letting out a frustrated groan before tearing at her hair. "I run away from it and I make people feel bad to make me feel better. But, god, don't you think I miss them? I think about them every day and I wonder what life would be like if we still had them here with us. Granted, they would probably be divorced, but still! At least we would have someone here to comfort us when we needed it."

"We have each other."

"That wasn't good enough for me," Brooke cried, tears and tears falling down her face. If she didn't know any better, this seemed like the longest she ever cried in front of someone. Sure, Haley had seen her cry before, but not this long and hard. "I needed them, I needed them to be there for me when I went through puberty, I needed them there to tell me that there are other fish in the sea when my first boyfriend broke up with me. I need them here now to help me help you get through this."

"I need them too," Haley whispered, inching closer to Brooke and grabbing her hand. "But you've got me and Taylor, and, and Ben too. You're not alone, Brooke and you never will be. And even though they're gone, they're still here with us. Death ends a life, not a relationship."

"You're right," Brooke smiled, giving Haley's hair a slight ruffle. "So can we just kiss and make up?" Haley made a face and shrugged her shoulders a bit.

"We can make up but not kiss," Haley laughed, shifting so she was now facing Brooke and giving her a tight hug. Brooke did the same and couldn't help but feel like everything was going to be okay as she held onto Haley, not wanting to let go. "Thanks, thanks for being so supportive through all of this."

"No problem," Brooke told her, rubbing her hand up and down Haley's back. They stayed in each others arms for a bit until they were interrupted by the bathroom door opening.

"Are you guys having some sort of pow wow in the bathroom or what?" Taylor asked with a small laugh, watching as Brooke and Haley pulled back from each other and wiped their eyes. She took a deep breath and knelt down in front of Haley, hoping she wasn't going to bitch her out. "Hay, I'm so sorry."

Before Taylor could finish, Haley reached up and wrapped her arms around her. Taylor couldn't help but let out a sigh of relief and hugged Haley back, smiling up at Brooke. Haley pulled back eventually and got to her feet, opening the drawers to the cabinet where the sink was on. She rummaged through it and pulled out the pack of razors she used to cut herself many times before.

"Um," she whispered, moving the bag back and forth in her hand, debating what to do with them. Brooke and Taylor looked at her curiously, watching as she tried so hard to control herself. "I don't think….I don't think I need them anymore," she finally said, tossing them into the trash and looking back at her two sisters, who were now on their feet. "Promise you won't let me do that again?"

"Promise," Brooke and Taylor said in unison, their heart sinking when Haley finally burst into a fit of sobs. "Hales, don't cry," Brooke told her, stepping forward and wrapping her in her arms. "It's okay to be scared."

"I just wish I could take it all back," Haley cried, burying her head into Brooke's shoulder as Taylor rubbed her hand up and down her back. "I want them all to go away. I hate, I hate looking at them."

"It's going to take time," Taylor told her softly, running her hands through Haley's hair and patting her back gently. "But you've got us to help you get through it. We're never going to leave you, Hay, never."

"I know," Haley replied, pulling herself out of Brooke's arms and rolling up her sleeve so she could see the scars. "I can't look at them."

"So don't," Taylor said, rolling Haley's sleeve back down and holding it in place. Haley sniffled and wiped her eyes, thankful that her sisters forgave her after she said the nastiest things to them earlier. "Do you want to go lie down? You look exhausted."

"We'll lie with you," Brooke offered, leaving Haley no room to protest when she took a hold of her arm and began leading her towards her bedroom. Brooke sat her down and sighed when Haley had more tears coming down her cheeks. She watched her grab Mr. Waffles and collapse in the middle of the bed. Taylor smiled sadly and lied down on Haley's right while Brooke lied down on her left.

"I love you guys," Haley whispered after minutes of trying to get her tears to cease. When they finally did, she snuggled closer to both her sisters and felt a smile coming on when they both patted her knee. "I'm just going to doze for a bit, okay?" Taylor nodded her head and leaned over and quickly kissed her forehead, watching Brooke do the same.

They fell into silence and stared up at the ceiling while Haley did her best to ignore the day's events. She finally closed her eyes after a few moments but quickly opened them when she felt Brooke grab her arm.

"Just incase," Brooke said with a smile, rubbing her hand up and down Haley's arm. Haley nodded her head and looked at her thankfully before shutting her eyes again; ready to forget about today and hoping tomorrow was going to be better. And now that everything was in the open, maybe it would be. She could only wait and see what life was going to throw at her next.

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**I know it's a little much for one chapter, but I had to get it all in there because the next chapter skips to the end of summer. I hope you guys liked it and once again, please tell me what you think and I'll try and start working on the ending ASAP.**


	34. Take a Chance, Make a Change & Breakaway

**I really wish I had a super good excuse as to why this took so long, but I don't so I'm really sorry! The chapter goes in and out of flashbacks for the most part, just to catch you up on things from the big time jump and how things used to be. **

**Hope you enjoy and please tell me what you think.**

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* * *

**"I can't believe you're leaving me," Brooke sighed sadly, watching as Haley zipped up her very last suitcase. Haley returned the sigh and climbed up on the bed next to her sister. "Tomorrow you're officially a College girl." 

"No, stop saying that," Haley chastised, hitting Brooke's arm lightly. Brooke returned the gesture and couldn't help but feel a bit sympathetic towards her little sister. She knew how nervous Haley was about tomorrow and she would be feeling the same if she was going to school 8 hours away from home. "I don't know," she whispered, inching closer to her sister. "I was fine with leaving yesterday and the day before, but now that it's here, I'm, I'm having second thoughts."

"Baby, I know you're going to miss me, but that's no reason for you to change your mind and stay behind," Brooke joked, nudging Haley's shoulders a bit when she smiled sadly. Haley couldn't help but agree with her. "You'll be fine."

"What if I won't be? Brooke, what if I get depressed again because I'm so miserable? I don't want to hurt myself ever again. I made it this far and I can't, I don't want to mess that up," Haley said quietly, subconsciously running her hand over the exposed scars on her left arm.

"You won't," Brooke told her forcefully, making sure it got into her little sister's head. She knew Haley and she was confident that Haley wasn't going to resort back to self-harm for her problems. "You've come too far and I think you're smart enough to make the right choice. And you can always call me if you need to talk. You know that."

"I know," Haley whispered, grabbing Brooke's hand and squeezing it lightly. "I'm just afraid I won't fit in. Everyone will be so much more experienced than me…"

"Well, you won't know until you get there, right?" Brooke told her, hoping somehow she could ease her mind. "But while we're on that subject," she paused, feeling her cheeks begin to burn when Haley looked up at her in confusion. "Okay, now I know you're more responsible than most adults, but as your older, more experienced sister, I feel that it's my job to talk to you about this."

"Oh, god," Haley said, her eyes widening when she realized where Brooke was going with this current conversation. "Please, please don't give me what I think you're going to give me."

"I, I have to, Haley," Brooke stuttered, feeling it was her big sister to duty to make sure Haley was aware of her surroundings and understood what was going to happen. She knew this was going to sound so ridiculous, giving her 17-year old sister a sex talk, but someone as innocent and inexperienced as Haley was bound to be an easy target. "Now you're probably going to go to parties and you know, dare I say drink?"

"Brooke, please stop this," Haley begged, feeling more uncomfortable than Brooke was. "You really, really don't have to do this. I get it, I get where you're going with this."

"But, but I just want to make sure," Brooke told her, shifting her position so she was now looking at Haley. "It's mostly because I'm not going to be there to watch out for you and kick anyone's ass that says something to you." Haley nodded slowly and figured she owed it to Brooke to listen to what she had to say. She meant well, she really did, but this sort of talk would have been better if she were 13. "Um, okay so, you're at a party with tons of hot guys. They could be football players, hockey players, or, or oh, god, basketball players. But my point, so, blah, blah, blah you meet a guy, you hit it off and everything. So, you go back to his room and he wants, well you know what he wants you to do. Look, Haley, my point is, just don't let anyone make you do something you don't want to do, got it?"

"You mean like what happened with Nathan?" Haley pointed out softly, unable to stop the words from coming out of her mouth. Brooke sighed and cursed herself for what she had just said moments ago.

"Wow, ouch, okay I walked into that," Brooke agreed, ruffling Haley's hair a little before choosing her words carefully. "I just don't want you to get hurt again."

"I won't," Haley told her confidently, "I won't let myself get hurt again. That, that's all in the past."

_Brooke sighed and flopped down on the couch, flipping through that latest issue of Cosmo she had just received in the mail. She made a face when she found none of the sex articles interesting. Tossing it down on the coffee table, she smiled slightly when Haley came down the stairs, looking just as bored._

"_Haley baby, will you entertain me?" She asked sweetly, watching as Haley sat down next to her. "Please, please, please?"_

"_Well, I was going to go talk a walk. Want to come?" Haley asked, shrugging her shoulders when Brooke made a face. "Don't be a fat ass, come on," she said, grabbing Brooke's arm and pulling her up with all her strength. _

"_I can't believe you just called me a fat ass," Brooke hissed, pulling her arm away from Haley's grip once they got out the door. "I'm in better shape than you and yet you still have a better body," she trailed off, not wanting to get depressed on the first day of summer vacation. _

"_So, I'm about to do something stupid," Haley began, linking her arm through Brooke's and sighing when Brooke stopped short once they turned the corner. "Now before you get upset and go all big sister on my ass, I need to know that you'll let me do this."_

"_It all depends," Brooke stated, watching as Haley closed her eyes as if she knew exactly how Brooke was going to react. "What are we going, no, what are you going to do?"_

"_Brooke, I, I have to do this," Haley said, looking up at her sister to see if she was still paying attention. Brooke raised her eyebrows and crossed her arms, motioning for Haley to continue. "Okay, so, I'm going to see Nathan."_

"_I'm sorry, what?" Brooke asked in confusion, wondering if Haley really said she was going to see Nathan. She knew how bad that ended last time and was starting to think her sister was going crazy. "I don't think so."_

"_Well I do," Haley told her confidently, ready to finally face her fears again. This time was going to be different. This time she wasn't going to breakdown in front of the one person that could make her fear for her life. "I have to, Brooke. I have to face him again and not let this thing hang over my head for the rest of my life."_

"_Are you sure that's a good idea? We all know what happened last time," Brooke reminded her kindly, remembering how horrible that night was for both her and Haley. _

"_I'm sure," Haley reassured her as confidently as possible. "I just want to make sure you'll wait for me while I'm in there?" Brooke looked at her skeptically as they linked arms and began to walk again. "Please? I really need your support."_

"_Fine, Hales," Brooke sighed, "but if you leave that jailhouse in a hysterical mess I'm going to tell you I told you so."_

"_Deal," Haley agreed, pulling Brooke along with her as they began the short walk to where Nathan was living for the next 4 years. Haley didn't know what possessed her mind to even think to go and visit Nathan. It had been pretty clear the last visit that she was incapable of handling Nathan face to face. She let all of his nasty words sit in her mind for days and began to wonder if he was really right. _

"_Now, are you sure you want to do this?" Brooke asked, tugging back at Haley's arm once she began to climb the steps of the jailhouse. "I mean like, 100 percent sure that you really, really want to do this."_

"_I'm 100 percent sure," Haley repeated, breaking her arm free and opening the door. She began to think Brooke was more afraid than she was. "Okay, so you'll wait right here?"_

"_I'll be here," Brooke told her with a slight waver in her voice. She gave her a quick hug and watched her disappear after conversing with the officer at the desk for a few minutes. She sighed heavily and took a seat, just praying it was all going to be over soon._

_Haley took a deep breath as she followed the two officers down the long and winding hallway. She remembered being so freaked out the first time and refused to let herself feel that way now. She was supposed to be strong and be able to prove to everyone that she had put this all behind her and that she wasn't going to let this incident hang over her head for the rest of her life. The officers led her to a booth and she felt her heart begin to pound when they told her they'd be back with Nathan. She waited patiently, contemplating whether or not this was such a good idea now. _

_Seconds later, she heard a movement and looked up to see Nathan sitting on the opposite side of her. He face was pale and it looked like he had gained a bit of weight since the last time she saw him. Nathan stared back at her, his face emotionless as he watched her pick up the phone with a steady hand. This was definitely not the Haley James he remembered from his high school days. And this certainly wasn't going to be like the last visit they encountered months ago._

"_Hi," she said once he picked up the phone, her tone clear and confident. _

"_What are you doing here?" He asked gruffly, staring at her new appearance. She looked hot; he wasn't going to deny that. "You look nice," he found himself complimenting her look and couldn't help but laugh when she blushed. _

"_Brooke kind of gave me a makeover," she told him, laughing in spite of herself. "She told me the Tutor Girl image was so last year." _

"_Well that Tutor Girl image got you into Yale," He pointed out, chuckling lightly when her eyebrows rose in confusion. "Ah, my mom told me. She's been filling me in on what's been going on."_

"_Oh," Haley whispered, shaking her head and trying to think what she originally came here for. "Um, I know you probably have things to do but I just wanted, I don't know I just wanted to come see how you were doing."_

"_Why?" Nathan asked in somewhat shock. "The last time you came here you told me I ruined your life." Haley opened her mouth to protest but he quickly cut her off by holding up his hand. "And you were right. I did ruin your life and you had every right to yell at me like that." _

"_Nathan, I-"_

"_I don't want your pity, Haley," Nathan snapped, banging his hand on the table. Haley looked taken aback and stood her ground. "Why the hell are you really here?" _

"_To prove to you and to everyone else that I can move on from this," Haley bit back, watching him freeze in his seat. "Yeah, Nathan you did ruin my life. But you know what? I'm slowly getting over it and I'm not going to dwell on it for the rest of my life. People still treat me like I'm sort of porcelain doll because of this or whatever. I'm here to prove to them I'm far from fragile and that I'm capable of moving on. Yeah, so I still feel a little bit uncomfortable around guys, but that's normal right? You don't want my pity? I don't want your pity either. Don't look at me and pretend that you're sorry because I know you're not. I know why you wanted to this and I find it sickening."_

"_What do you want me to say to you then?" Nathan yelled, rolling his eyes when the officers told him to keep it down. _

"_Nothing," Haley told him simply. "I don't want you to say anything. You have 4 years to think about that." _

"_Fuck, Haley," he yelled again, getting frustrated with the James girl. "I'm sorry! Is that what you want to hear? I'm sorry," he whispered, looking down at his hands. Haley sighed and felt speechless, trying to rack her brain for something to say. "I don't expect you to forgive me."_

"_I can't," Haley finally said, her voice cracking. He nodded his head empathetically and braced himself for that answer. "I'm just going to go."_

"_Wait," he said as she stood up. "Is Brooke with you?" Haley slowly nodded her head and sat back down. "Could you tell her I want to talk to her?"_

"_Uh, sure," Haley hesitated, beginning to wonder what Nathan wanted to talk to her sister about. She scrutinized him and watched as he became uncomfortable under her watchful eye. He quickly turned his head away and cleared his throat. "Well, um, have a nice life, Nathan." _

_Haley hung up the phone and slowly got to her feet, pretty proud of herself that she lasted through a whole conversation with Nathan tear free. She couldn't help but smile when she reached the waiting room and saw Brooke immediately spring to her feet._

"_All set?" She asked cautiously, trying to decide if Haley looked like she had horrific experience or not. "Everything go okay?"_

"_Yeah," Haley nodded, crossing her arms fixing her gaze to the floor. "Nathan, Nathan wants to talk to you."_

"_What?" Brooke asked in disbelief, raising her eyebrow when Haley repeated herself. "What the hell does he want to talk to me for?" Haley shrugged her shoulders and took a seat, motioning for Brooke to go. The brunette took a deep breath and made her way into the room.  
_

"_Hi."_

"_What to do you want, Scott?" Brooke hissed, sending a glare right through the glass. _

"_Haley won't forgive me," he said, as if he we somewhat surprised. Usually Haley had a good heart but this was unacceptable. "I tried apologizing-"_

"_You mean to tell me you're actually surprised she won't forgive you?" Brooke laughed, shaking her head when Nathan shrugged his shoulders. "God, Nathan, you ruined her life. You really did", she whispered, closing her eyes and trying to stop the tears forming in her eyes. "After that terrible night, I watched her fall apart and there was nothing, and I mean nothing I could do about it."_

"_I'm actually surprised you cared," Nathan shrugged, resorting back to his old cocky self. He listened to Brooke gasp on the other end and couldn't help the disgusting smirk forming on his face. "Come on, Brooke. We both know you didn't give two shits about your sister before this all happened."_

"_Oh, go to hell," Brooke yelled, lowering her voice when the person next to her stared at her. "Is this what you called me in for? To tell me how horrible I treated my sister before you did this?"_

"_Maybe," Nathan told her, the grin still on his face. Brooke wished the glass wasn't there so she could reach over and smack that ugly grin right off his face. "Actually, I just called you in here to tell you that when I get out of here, I'm coming back for her. I'll be in her life whether you two like it or not."_

"_Over my dead body," Brooke hissed, making sure he got her point. She felt a chill go down her spine when he fell silent, looking down at the table._

"_It's your funeral then," he finally said, giving her one last smirk before hanging the phone up and getting up to his feet, not even bothering to look at the shock and horror plastered all over the brunette's face._

"I know, baby," Brooke shuddered, Nathan's words still ringing in her head. She never told Haley what they talked about on their little visit, for fear she would resort back to her old ways. Surely he didn't mean it and by the time he was released, who knows where they would be. "Well, we should probably go say bye to Taylor. I think she's leaving soon."

"Okay," Haley whispered, a little sad that Taylor wasn't going to be there for her tomorrow. It wasn't her fault that her move in day fell on the same day as the anniversary mass for her deceased niece. Taylor still wouldn't talk about her and even though they tried to ask questions, she would brush them off and quickly change the subject.

They got a little desperate and went to Ben, in hopes he could at least tell them about the infant that was once their little niece. They learned her full name was Emily Lynn and she was born a few weeks premature. She unfortunately inherited Nathan's piercing blue eyes but resembled Taylor everywhere else. The adoption was an open one and the adoptive parents, Mark and Lily Brady would often send Taylor pictures, letting them know how well Emily was doing.

"You know she'd be there if she could," Brooke told her, gently nudging her with her shoulder. Haley smiled sadly and felt horrible for even feeling jealous that Taylor was going to the mass rather than help her move in. After all, Haley had been through so much with Taylor and needed her there tomorrow. "But, um, you can't really hold this against her."

"I'm not," Haley snapped, letting out a sigh when she realized the harshness in her voice. Brooke looked a little taken aback and waited for her to continue. "Let's just get this over with," she said, grabbing Brooke's hand and pulling her up with her.

"No, no, one of my sisters is allergic to seafood," Taylor groaned, placing her hand on top of her head and pacing around the room. "Ben, I thought you already planned out the menu!" She motioned for Brooke and Haley to sit down and finally hung up the phone minutes later. "Don't ever get married," she told them with a laugh, pulling up a seat and looking at her two sisters. "So, what's up?"

"Uh, nothing," Brooke said, sending a look towards Haley's way, telling her to wipe the pout off her face. "We just wanted to say bye before you left."

"Oh," Taylor sighed, her face falling when Haley stared at the table. "Hay, are you sure you're okay with this? I mean, I know it's your big day and everything but-"

"It's fine," Haley cut her off with a smile, "it's fine. You have to do this and I'll be fine. Besides, you can always come help me move out," she laughed, suddenly feeling relaxed for the first time in a few weeks.

"You bet," Taylor laughed, reaching over and giving Haley a hug. "Well, I really should get going before I miss my flight. Okay, so, Brooke I never thought I'd hear myself saying this, but please, take care of everything tomorrow?"

"I will!" Brooke groaned, wondering why Taylor never trusted her. Maybe it was because the last time Taylor left the two of them alone Haley cut herself and Brooke nearly flew off the handle. "God, could you at least give me the benefit of the doubt."

"Come here," Taylor hissed, throwing a sweet smile Haley's way before grabbing Brooke's arm and dragging her into the living room. "Look, you and I both know what happened last time. You know she's not taking her medication when she's supposed to be and I don't want to get a phone call from whoever telling me she's slit her wrist."

"Alright, fine," Brooke sighed, flopping down on the couch and watching as Taylor did the same. "How do you know she's not taking her Prozac?"

"Because when I went to go get it refilled, the pill bottle was still half full," Taylor whispered, looking back into the kitchen to make sure Haley was still out of ear shot. "Brooke, I really am trusting you with this. I need to make sure you'll take care of her and everything else tomorrow."

"Trust me," Brooke stated confidently, taking her sister's hands into her own and squeezing them lightly. "I'll talk to her and see what's up. If anyone can get through to her, it's me."

"I'll go talk to her first and then you can work your magic," Taylor told her, "I'm going to see if she'll really tell me the truth or if she'll just lie. She really has to stop this."

"Just go easy on her, Tay," Brooke informed her, watching as her older sister headed towards the kitchen. "She's scared enough as it is."

"Hey, Hales," Taylor greeted lightly, rejoining her at the table. Haley looked up at her and smiled in slight fear, knowing that Taylor was going to ask her something. "I know I shouldn't even be asking you this, but, have, have you've been taking your Prozac?"

"I," Haley began, letting out a sigh when Taylor gave her a look. Haley felt absolutely horrible lying to her and she couldn't help but give in to the caring look on her sister's face. "No," she whispered, fixing her gaze towards the table and waiting for the yelling.

"Oh, Haley-bub," Taylor sighed, taking a deep breath and trying to keep calm throughout the whole conversation. "Why not, honey? You know you're supposed to take it and it's supposed to be helping you with your cutting."

"But, Taylor, I don't really need it!" Haley defended, crossing her arms in annoyance. "It just screws with my mind and it keeps me up at night. I'm fine without it."

"Did you take it the night you last cut yourself?" Taylor asked softly, hoping Haley wouldn't blow up at her in any second. She knew how Haley hated talking about the subject and she was just hoping she'd cooperate this time. Judging by the silence, Taylor had answered her own question. "Haley, you really have to start taking it. I'm really counting on you to take it, especially when Brooke and I won't be there to ride your ass about it."

"I'm sorry," Haley apologized, mustering the best smile she could. "I really am, Tay."

"I know you are, baby," Taylor whispered, pulling her chair closer so she could wrap Haley in a hug. "So, is Brooke talking out of her ass again or are you scared about going to school tomorrow?"

"A little," Haley blushed, making a mental note to kill Brooke later for spilling about her fears about Yale. Taylor couldn't help but laugh and ruffled her hair. "I know. I'm such a baby."

"Actually I was scared too when I first went," Taylor told her, nodding her head when Haley looked at her in disbelief. "Don't worry, Hay, it's normal. You'll be fine and I'll make sure I'll call and check up on you."

"Okay, thanks," Haley smiled, giving Taylor another hug and sighing when she heard the front door open and Ben calling out Taylor's name. "Well, you should go."

"He can wait," Taylor laughed, motioning for Ben to go away when he came into the kitchen. "Promise me you'll stay on top of things?" Haley nodded her head and was going to try her best to keep up with things. "Good," she whispered, placing a quick kiss on her forehead before giving her one last hug. "You'll be fine tomorrow, okay? I'll call you when I'm there and you can tell me everything."

"Alright," Haley whispered, laughing softly when Taylor hugged her again. "Taylor, you really should go. I don't want you to miss your plane."

"I know, I know," Taylor sighed, holding Haley tighter when she felt her sister pull back. She gently ran her hand up and down her back and couldn't help but get a little teary eyed. "I still can't believe you're going to Yale," she sniffed, "just be safe and don't forget about us okay?"

"I won't."

"Good," Taylor told her, finally pulling back and wiping her eyes. "I love you, Haley-bub," she whispered with a smile, giving Haley one last kiss before heading into the living room to say her goodbyes to Brooke.

**xxxx**

"Okay so be honest," Brooke began, taking a quick bite of macaroni and cheese before continuing. "Who are you going to miss more; my macaroni and cheese or me?"

"Hmm, that's tough one," Haley giggled, pretending to launch into deep thought. She took a few bites of her dinner before shrugging her shoulders. "That's a real tough one but I'm going to have to say your macaroni and cheese."

"Brat," Brooke hissed in mock sadness. Haley shot her an apologetic look before licking her bowl clean and getting up for seconds. Brooke shook her head and watched her practically scarf down her third bowl. "So, I think we need to talk again."

"It's not another sex talk, is it?" Haley asked in mid-bite, dropping her fork into the bowl and suddenly losing her appetite. Brooke laughed and shook her head, shuddering at the thought of ever having to do something like that again.

"Like I said, just protect yourself," Brooke said quickly, watching Haley's face wrinkle in disgust. She took a deep breath and was willing to face any bitter remarks Haley was going to through at her. "We need to talk about you and your Prozac," she whispered, shutting her eyes when Haley let out a huge sigh.

"Brooke, Taylor already talked to me about this," Haley snipped, crossing her arms and wondering if her sisters were ever going to drop this subject. "It screws with my mind and I really don't need it. I can stop myself from cutting! I don't need some stupid medication to help me!"

"Yes you do," Brooke told her firmly, remembering the night Haley last cut herself. "You didn't take it that night you cut yourself baby, you and I both know that."

"_I'm gonna go, okay?" Brooke said softly as she came down the stairs, letting out a sigh when she saw Haley curled up on the couch looking bored. It was Friday night and Brooke hadn't been to a party in ages. She felt bad for leaving Haley all alone, but she already promised Peyton she'd go with her. "What are you up to for the rest of the night?"_

"_Nothing," Haley replied simply. It's not like she had any friends to hang out with. "I'll probably just stay in and watch a movie." She watched Brooke sit down next to her and pat her leg gently as if she needed to be pitied. _

"_Now I feel bad," Brooke sighed, trying to get Haley to look at her. It had been a few weeks since they had a falling out and even though Brooke tried everything in her power for things to go back to normal, Haley still remained distant. "I'll stay home if you want."_

"_No, no. Go to your party and have fun," Haley told her with a fake smile, secretly hoping Brooke would catch the lie. "Don't worry about me."_

"_Alright, baby," Brooke whispered, leaning forward and kissing Haley's temple. "Don't have too much fun without me."_

"_Oh, I'll try not to," Haley laughed sarcastically, watching as Brooke headed to the door. "Hey, Brooke, could I, could I maybe come with you?"_

"_Sure," Brooke smiled, reaching out her hand for Haley to take. She heard Peyton beep and smiled when she felt Haley's hand in her own. "I need a date anyways," she giggled, dragging her sister towards the car. _

_Peyton greeted Haley with a smile and was glad to see Haley slowly making progress and finally being able to move past the events that affected her young life. They arrived at Tim's party and both girls couldn't help but feel a bit overprotective when Haley wanted to go and mingle on her own. They both eyed her carefully as she began to talk to the captain of the hockey team. Peyton made sure to keep a close eye on Brooke just incase she decided to make any sudden moves. _

"_I don't know whether to be happy or to go over there and kick Brendan's ass for talking to her," Brooke wondered, fiddling with her cup. Peyton laughed and just hoped Brooke would go for the first choice._

"_Just relax, Brooke. She's fine and Brendan's a nice guy," Peyton reminded her kindly, taking a sip of her drink and nudging Brooke with her hip. "Come on. You're not going to spend the rest of your night watching Haley are you?"_

"_Just for a few minutes," Brooke told her distantly, rolling her eyes when Peyton let out a sigh. "Peyt, come on. You know the last time Haley went to a party she got drunk off her ass and revealed some pretty heavy shit."_

"_Alright, you win," Peyton said, officially giving up. She smiled slightly when Lucas was making his way over. "Um, I'm just gonna go get another drink. I'll see you later?"_

"_Okay, yeah," Brooke said, silently cursing at her for leaving her alone with Lucas for the time being. Lucas gave Peyton a small nod and hoped Brooke wouldn't brush him off before he could say anything. "Hey."_

"_Hey," Lucas replied softly, realizing Brooke's gaze never left her sister. She watched Brendan's hand rub Haley's arm up and down and she had to stop herself from storming over there and cussing him out. "She's come a long way, hasn't she?"_

"_Yeah she has," Brooke smiled proudly, tearing her eyes away from her sister just for a second to look up at Lucas. "I think if this happened 6 months ago she'd be freaking out. But now, now look at her."_

"_It's all because of you," Lucas told her truthfully, gently nudging her hip with his own. Brooke shook her head in disagreement but reluctantly let him continue. "Come on, give yourself more credit than this. Would you honestly think Haley would be here, talking to a guy, if it wasn't for you?" _

"_I don't know," Brooke whispered, suddenly becoming fascinated with the liquid in her cup. It was so weird to have a civil conversation with Lucas seeing as every time they got together they would end up yelling and screaming at each other. "So, are you ready for Duke?"_

"_Ah, I guess," Lucas shrugged, shoving his hands in his pockets. He was offered a full scholarship, much to the delight of Karen. "Haley's going to Yale, right?"_

"_She got into Harvard and Princeton too but Yale is where she wants to go," Brooke told him with a nod. He smiled, knowing that Yale had been Haley's dream school since she was in the 8th grade. "Peyton's going to some fancy art school in New York, You're going to Duke, I mean even Bevin's going somewhere! I'm going to be stuck with Dim at Tree Hill Community College." _

"_At least you'll know someone," Lucas offered with a laugh, watching her dimples come out when she smiled in amusement. "Are we, are we good now? You haven't yelled at me yet," he joked, knowing she caught the light tone in his voice when she hit his shoulder. _

"_Yeah, we're good," Brooke found herself saying before she felt his arms wrap around her shoulders. It was a start, but it still wasn't going to change what he did. "I'm sorry for being, for being such a bitch to you," she whispered shamefully, slowly looking up to stare at his blue eyes. "You were only trying to help with Haley."_

"_I don't think it was my place to interfere," Lucas replied, his voice just as soft as Brooke's. "How's she doing with, well you know."_

"_Better," Brooke told him, suddenly becoming alert when Tim's drunken self came stumbling over. Lucas fixed his gaze over to his drunken teammate and placed his hand on Brooke's arm just incase she decided to do anything stupid._

"_Tutor Girl!" Tim yelled obnoxiously, throwing his arm around a very tense Haley. He looked up at Brendan and couldn't help but laugh. "You better be careful with this one man. Dude, touch her the wrong way and she'll throw your ass in jail for attempted rape." _

"_Brooke, don't," Lucas instructed, pulling the angry brunette back. "Not yet." Haley shook Tim's arm off of her and tried to ignore all the stares coming from everyone in the room. _

"_She's a head case too," Tim continued, taking a sip of his drink and accidentally spilling some of it on the front of Haley's shirt. Brendan did his best to get Tim to shut his mouth but the basketball player was too drunk for his own good. "Dude, look at her wrists," he pointed out, grabbing Haley's arm and pushing up her sleeve to reveal the scars she kept hidden. "Poor little Tutor Girl cuts herself because Brookie doesn't love her."_

_Haley immediately pulled her arm away and ran out the front door, ignoring her name being called by Brooke. Lucas let Brooke's arm go and watched her run out after her while he went over to Tim, who was currently being pushed around by Brendan. The other people at the party began to whisper and Peyton felt herself wanting to go and punch every single one of them when they started to laugh. _

"_Haley, wait," Brooke yelled out after her sister, trying her best to keep up with her. Haley ignored her completely and picked up her pace, her house only a few blocks away. Brooke sighed heavily and cursed herself for wearing heels to the party. "Haley!" _

"_Leave me alone," Haley snapped, turning around for a split second to send Brooke the best glare she could muster. She was trying to hold in her sobs for once she got home, but Tim's words were ringing through her head and pretty soon the tears were cascading down her pale cheeks. _

"_Baby, please," Brooke pleaded, finally catching up with her hysterical sister. She grabbed her arm roughly and pulled her back, preventing her from any further movement. "Don't listen to Tim. He's an idiot."_

"_Yeah, well now the whole school knows," Haley yelled, dropping her arm from Brooke's grip and staring at the ground. "I have to be alone right now," she whispered, slowly backing away and watching as Brooke followed her. _

_Brooke let out a frustrated sigh and figured it was just best to leave Haley alone for the time being. She watched her run down the street again and just hoped she wasn't going to do anything stupid. As soon as that thought entered her mind, she cursed loudly and ran after her, hoping to get home before Haley could do anything she regretted. By the time she reached her house, she was breathing heavily and felt a shiver go down her spine when she saw the bathroom door slammed shut._

"_Haley?" She whispered, gently knocking on the door. She could hear muffled sobs coming from the other side and began to bang louder. "Haley I'm coming in, okay?" She didn't bother to wait for a response and found herself trying to open the door. Her heart skipped a beat when it was locked and now she began to panic. "Haley, open the door."_

"_No, Brooke, leave me alone," Haley said, loud enough for Brooke to hear. "Just go away." She rummaged through the drawers and pulled out the razor and stared at it. The knocking turned into pounding and she found herself unable to hold the object in her hand. "Please go away."_

"_Haley open the door now!" Brooke yelled, trying her best to jiggle the door knob but nothing was happening. "Haley, I'm serious!" She pounded the door, trying everything in her power to get it to open. "Haley!"_

_Seconds later, Brooke heard the front door open and heard two sets of footsteps barreling up the stairs. A very out of breath Lucas and Peyton appeared, immediately at their shook up friend's side. Peyton gave her a reassuring hug and felt her body tense up as soon as her arms left her._

"_What's going on?" Lucas asked, placing his hands on his knees and panting heavily. When Brooke filled them in, he felt himself banging on the door, his knock more forceful than the brunettes. "Haley, come on open the door!" _

"_Oh my god, we have to get that door open," Brooke cried, bringing her hands to her face and pacing around the room, fearing the absolute worst. Lucas rammed his shoulder against the door, wincing when the door didn't budge. He took a deep breath and did it again, all three of them gasping when they saw the sight in front of them._

_Haley watched the blood trickle off her arm and stain the white-tiled floor. She was in her own little world and didn't seem to notice the door being flung open. Brooke was at her side in an instant, dropping down to her knees and trying not to watch as the blood dripped onto her skirt _

"_Oh, no, no, no, baby," Brooke whispered, taking Haley's wrist in her hand and gazing down at the wound. It seemed to be a lot deeper than the other ones. Although she never saw Haley cut herself, she knew how deep Haley liked to cut._

"_We'll, uh, get her some new clothes," Peyton whispered for fear that either James sister was going to turn around and bitch her out. She dragged a reluctant Lucas out of the room and purposely took her time searching for Haley's pajamas._

"_Why would you do this?" Brooke suddenly snapped, standing up to her feet and dropping Haley's wrist out of her grip. She grimaced at the blood stains on her bare knees and couldn't help but fight the bile rising in her throat. "Haley, you were doing so good with your therapy and, and you just fucked it all up!"_

"_Don't yell at me!" Haley yelled, watching the hot tears drip onto her wound. She cradled her injured wrist and felt her body began to shake. "I don't want your help if you're going to yell at me!"_

"_Haley, this is ridiculous!" Brooke continued to yell and watched as Haley fixed her gaze to the puddle of blood. She rummaged through the medicine cabinet for the first aid kit, cursing when she couldn't find it. "Did you take your medication?"_

"_I forgot," Haley whispered, wincing when Brooke let out a frustrated groan. She dared to look upwards and couldn't help but cower away when Brooke came closer to her. _

"_You forgot?" Brooke yelled, officially flying off the handle. Peyton and Lucas listened contently from down the hall, both of them wondering if they should go in and stop Brooke before she gave Haley's ass a beating. "Oh, well that's just so god damn wonderful, Haley! Taylor leaves us alone for one weekend and you have to go and cut yourself. Great, like she's really going to trust us from now on."_

"_Brooke, stop!" Haley whimpered, nearly falling off the toilet seat when Brooke slammed the drawers shut once she found the first aid kit. "Stop yelling at me," she cried, furiously wiping her eyes with her good arm. _

_Brooke knelt back down and suddenly felt absolutely disgusted with herself when she saw the look of terror written all over Haley's face. She saw how tiny and vulnerable she looked and couldn't stop herself from reaching up and hugging Haley tight, not even realizing the blood was staining her white shirt red. They didn't speak, but each sister knew the other one was sorry as they held on tighter, Haley eventually falling off the toilet seat and into Brooke's lap. _

"_Here are the clothes," Peyton said quietly, stepping into the bathroom after witnessing the situation unfold. She watched as Haley held onto Brooke tighter as Brooke sent a thankful smile her way when she reached up for the clothes. "Want us to wait outside?"_

"_Please," Brooke whispered, patting Haley's back as a reminder to kindly get off of her. Lucas sent her a sympathetic look before shutting the door behind him, slumping down on the floor next to Peyton. "Baby, you have to get up so I can clean you up."_

_Haley quietly complied and slowly sat back on the toilet seat, turning her head away when Brooke began to clean her up. The next thing she knew, her current shirt was being tossed aside and new one was being put on her. Brooke slowly lifted her to her feet and helped her step into the pajama pants before leading her away from the puddle of blood inches away from her now bare feet. Brooke slowly opened the door and motioned for Peyton to come in._

"_Can you just take her to bed while I clean this up?" She asked in a low whisper, feeling Haley grab her hand from beside her. Peyton nodded and slowly wrapped her arms around Haley's waist, letting out a little sigh when Haley pulled back. "No, no, it's okay," Brooke told her, rubbing her arm lightly. "I'll be there in a few minutes, I promise." _

_She watched sadly as Haley reluctantly let Peyton guide her out of the room and away from her sister, the one person she needed the most. Once they were out of view, Brooke collapsed into a mess of tears and quickly grabbed the towel from the rack and threw it over the blood. She finally looked down at her clothes and let out a gasp at the spots of blood all over her._

"_Brooke," Lucas whispered, snapping her out of her trance. He gently lifted her to her feet and held her tight as she sobbed into his chest. He ran a comforting hand up and down his back while she pressed her fists into his chest as if she wanted him to let go. "Go be with Haley, I'll finish this up."_

"_Thanks," she murmured, pulling back and wiping her eyes. He smiled at her and gave her a small nod. "Could, could you just do me one favor? Downstairs, downstairs is her Prozac, could you just grab that? It's in the cabinet above the microwave and be sure to bring up a glass of water," she called out to him when he headed out of the room._

_She made a detour to her own room and stripped herself down, tossing the bloody clothes across the room, never wanting to see them again. She wiped her knees with the face cloth she brought with her and tossed that aside too. If Haley was resorting back to her old ways than she was going to have to make sure it stopped before it went too far._

"Well, if it wasn't for that night you and Lucas wouldn't have gotten back together," Haley shrugged, pushing her bowl forward and sighing when the doorbell rang.

"We'll finish this later," Brooke told her, playfully pushing her head to the side when she walked by her. She opened the door and an instant smile graced her face when she saw Peyton and Lucas standing there. "Hey guys," she greeted, reaching up and giving Lucas a quick kiss on the lips before moving aside so they could get in.

"We just wanted to say bye to Haley," Peyton said, inviting herself into the kitchen and taking what was ever left of the macaroni and cheese. "Aw, look, it's like our last meal together, Hales!"

"Shut up," Haley snapped, reaching forward and grabbing the bowl from Peyton's clutches. "Are Brooke and Lucas mauling each other in the living room?"

"Aren't they always?" Peyton laughed, sticking her fork into the bowl and ignoring the glares from the other blonde when she took a bite. "So, Yale, huh? Tutor Girl's hitting up the big Ivy League school. Are you excited to get out of this shit hole?"

"Oh yeah," Haley lied, forcing a smile when the couple came into the kitchen, taking the two seats on the opposite side of Haley.

"I would offer you guys some dinner but the human vacuum ate it all," Brooke laughed, nudging Haley's shoulder and frowning when she rolled her eyes. "Oh, come on, it was a joke, Hales."

"Ha ha," Haley laughed sarcastically, pushing the chair out and standing up to her feet. She quickly looked at Lucas and sighed when he was staring at her in concern. "I have to go finish packing, I'll see you guys later." She left no room to protest and the next thing she knew she was collapsed on her bed with Mr. Waffles.

"Are you taking him with you?" Brooke asked with a laugh, her face falling when Haley didn't respond. She walked over to the bed and sat down next to Haley, poking her side a little and watching as she jumped in surprise. "You still don't like him, do you?"

"Brooke, it's your choice or whatever but if I were you I would have never gotten back-"

"Stop," Brooke cut in, putting her hand up in defense when Haley tried to continue. "It's all in the past and what's done is done. He was there for me that night when you, you know what you did and something just happened, okay?"

"Yeah well Peyton was there too and I don't see you jumping into bed with her," Haley snipped, letting out a sigh when Brooke groaned.

"Haley, he was the one all through high school that tried to make me leave you alone."

"You never listened," Haley mumbled, remembering all those times she would hear Brooke bitching to whichever hoe posse member was available that moment. "God, Brooke, don't even bring up high school."

"I don't want to fight with you on your last night here," Brooke whispered, cautiously lying down next to her sister and running her hands through her hair. Lucas and Peyton had told her they'd come back later if Haley was up to it. "I know how much you hated it baby, but it's all over now."

"Do you know what's not over though?" Haley began, watching as Brooke shook her head. "All those terrible memories of the days where you felt like being a bitch to me and watched as your hoe posse teased the living shit out of me. But the one that I always think about was when you would be nice to me when they weren't around and then turn into a bitch when they were."

"Haley-"

"No, Brooke," Haley cut her off, "I know you remember this one too. That time where I bumped into you and you were being nice and helping me pick my books up and then Theresa came over and you just started bitching at me for no reason. And, and you let her talk about mom and dad like that…"

_Haley cursed loudly as she did her best to walk around the lazy students who were enjoying taking their sweet old time going to their lockers. It was Friday afternoon and Haley wanted to get to her locker before Brooke and her hoe posse cornered her and watched her squirm while they picked apart her clothes and whatever book she was reading that week. She seemed to be home free as her locker came into sight but was soon letting out a sigh when she bumped into somebody and felt her books fall out of her hands and all over the floor._

"_I'm sorry," she whispered, bending down to gather her books and nearly falling backwards when she saw the other person bending down to help her._

"_Don't worry about it," Brooke smiled, handing Haley's last book to her before getting up to her feet. Haley was waiting for the bitching to ensue and was overly surprised when Brooke just stood there. "So, um, how was your day?"_

"_Brooke!" Theresa yelled from the end of the hallway, waving her arm frantically once Brooke looked up at her. Brooke sighed and watched the band of cheerleaders come closer and surround the two James sisters. "What the hell are you staring at Tutor Girl?" _

"_Nothing," Haley whispered, taking a step forward and hoping Brooke would move out of her way so she could avoid the potential humiliation. "I was just going."_

"_Hold on," Brooke suddenly snapped, launching into her role as the bitchy head cheerleader. She pushed Haley back and listened to everyone snicker when she nearly fell over. "Don't walk away from her."_

"_It's kind of rude," Theresa added, stepping next to Brooke and knocking Haley's books out of her hands. The other cheerleaders giggled and watched Haley tense up. She wished Peyton was there to make this all stop because Brooke would never swallow her pride and stop it. "Didn't your parents teach you anything?"_

_Brooke winced. That was taking it a step far and she felt her heart stop when Haley's gazed fixed to the floor. She knew she was trying to hold it in but a part of her was wishing she would break down right there so she would have an excuse to comfort her._

"_Um, Theresa, stop," Brooke whispered, sending a glare towards one of her cheerleaders. "That's too far."_

"_Oh, come on, Brookie," Theresa laughed, "you said it yourself. Your parents were too busy always working because they didn't want to deal with Haley and her constant whining. They hated her just like everyone in this school does." Brooke immediately shook her head when Haley looked up at her in surprise, her eyes already filling up with tears. "They were ashamed of her, weren't they?"_

"_Shut up," Brooke and Haley hissed at the same time. Theresa laughed and nudged Brooke in the shoulder, gesturing for her to watch the tears fall down Haley's cheeks. _

"_They hated her just like your brother and sister hate her," Theresa hissed, utterly enjoying herself as the other cheerleaders watched on in somewhat pain as Haley took deep breaths and tried not to let her win. "Just like you hate her and just like the rest of the god damn world hates her."_

"_Theresa, I'm serious. Shut up," Brooke snapped, locking eyes with the co-captain. The brunette merely giggled and pushed on. _

"_Stop defending the less fortunate. God, Tutor Girl, why do you even live your life anymore? You've got nothing to live for and I'm almost one hundred percent sure no one would miss you. I bet your parents would ignore you up in heaven and Brooke wouldn't even go to your poor little funeral. No one would."_

_And that was it for both Brooke and Haley. Brooke hated herself for letting it get too far and she didn't know why she could never ever stop it before it escalated into so much more. She would just sit back and watch her little sister being teased and tormented by one of her close friends. _

"_Back off right now and go start practice." She finally lost it and grabbed Theresa by the arm and flung her towards the gym. The other cheerleaders quickly compiled and Brooke nearly went after Theresa when she kicked the books away as Haley bent down to pick them up. She bent down herself to help her sister and couldn't help but hate herself as she heard Haley's small sniffling._

"_No, no, get away from me," Haley protested as Brooke tried to give her a hug. She pushed her backwards and quickly picked up the few remaining books before shoving them into her messenger bag. _

_Brooke went to say something but stopped when she saw Haley take off down the hall and disappear into the girl's bathroom. She slowly walked towards the gym and gripped the door handles tightly, tapping her fingers on them in deep contemplation. She hit the door lightly and turned around on her heel. The next thing she knew, she was pushing the bathroom door open and bracing herself for the worst when she heard the loud sobs coming from the only locked stall._

"_Hales?" She whispered, shutting her eyes and trying to block out the crying. This was all her fault and if she took her foot out of her mouth, she would have been able to stop this. But no, she had to sit back and just watch it unfold. "Haley-bub come on, I'll take you home."_

"_You have cheerleading," Haley remarked scornfully, feeling Brooke's presence outside the stall. "I wouldn't want you to miss that."_

"_Fuck cheerleading," Brooke told her bluntly, smiling slightly when the stall door opened and Haley stepped back so she could move into the tiny space. Her eyes were all red and puffy and Brooke watched her sit back down on the toilet and place her head back in her hands. "Are you okay?"_

"_Of course," Haley replied bitterly, sniffling loudly and picking her head up to look at her sister. She looked regretful and sorry as hell and Haley couldn't help but lean forward and hug her. "Why would she say something like that?"_

"_Because she's a bitch and none, I mean none of those things she told you are true," Brooke said, making the stern tone in her voice clear. "None of them are true." Haley sighed and fell silent, freezing when she heard the bathroom door open._

"_Brooke? Are you in here?" _

"_Um, yeah, yeah I am," Brooke rose to her feet and unlocked the handle and breathed a sigh of relief when she saw Bevin standing there. She told her to hold on for one second and grabbed Haley's hand before pulling her out of the stall. "You can just tell the other girls that practice is cancelled. I, I need to deal with some stuff at home."_

"_Oh, no problem," Bevin whispered, forcing a smile when she saw Haley shy away when their gazes met. "I'll, I'll tell her."_

"_Thanks Bevin," Brooke smiled and gently tugged on Haley's arm so she'd walk with her. Bevin couldn't help but rub Haley's shoulder when she walked by and just hoped one of these days the tormenting would stop. _

"You know how horrible I felt after that," Brooke said in defense, trying to keep herself calm throughout the whole conversation. Haley sighed and couldn't help but nod her head. Brooke did stay with her for the rest of the day and made sure it got in her head that she was wanted and would be indeed missed if she were to ever leave.

"I know," Haley whispered, grabbing Brooke's hand and squeezing it every now and then. She was going to miss this so much; just lying in bed and talking about random things. Granted, she hated talking about her high school days but now that it was over, she was ready to put the past in the past and leave it all behind in Tree Hill. "I'm sorry for bringing it up. I didn't mean to."

"Well I'm sorry for letting it all happened," Brooke apologized, patting Haley's head with her free hand before the two fell silent. "I'm really going to miss you tomorrow," she whispered, hoping not to upset Haley. "I wish I was going with you."

"You should have studied more and had sex less," Haley teased, laughing when Brooke hit her with the pillow that was resting comfortably underneath her head. "But like you said, it's a good chance to start over and I don't know if I want you in my new life."

"Well," Brooke gasped, getting off the bed and slapping her thigh in the process. "I wasn't even going to be in it anyways. I hope you have fun tomorrow and if we're lucky we'll never see each other again!"

"Aw, Tigger you know I love you," Haley laughed, patting the now empty space next to her. Brooke sighed dramatically before stalking back to the bed and collapsing onto it next to her sister.

"I know and I so call being mayor of your new life," Brooke giggled, shaking at her head at actually being able to run Haley's so called new life. Haley nodded her head in agreement and suddenly felt upset again. "God, what's wrong with you now?"

"I'm going to miss you and your stupidity," Haley told her, a smile gracing her lips when Brooke gave her a goofy grin. They both knew it was late but if Haley went to sleep, she knew the minute she woke up the next morning she would have a panic attack. "Can I be a baby and ask you this?"

"You're always a baby," Brooke teased, becoming serious when Haley grunted and shot her a look. "What are you going to be a baby about and ask me, baby?"

"I, I want you to stay with me tonight," Haley whispered, "I mean I don't want you to it would just be nice since we won't be seeing each other until November and I just would feel much better if you were right next to me."

"God, stop rambling," Brooke groaned in mock annoyance, reaching over and slapping Haley's thigh. "I'll only stay with you tonight because I'm not staying with you tomorrow night, that's for damn sure."

"I wasn't even going to ask you so shut up," Haley said in defense, rolling her eyes and crawling under the covers. Brooke laughed and got off the bed to shut the light off before climbing back in next to her sister.

"Yeah you were."

"Brooke shut up, I'm trying to sleep," Haley mumbled, her voice muffled by her pillow. "I don't need you to come stay with me, god I'm not that dependent on you."

"You're so cranky when you're freaking tired. Shut up and go to sleep," Brooke commanded, quickly kissing Haley's temple before moving around to get comfortable. "I love you and everything but you really are dependent on me."

"You can't be mayor of my new life anymore," Haley whispered, shutting her eyes together when Brooke gasped in shock. "Night, Brookie." She found herself snuggling closer to Brooke and smiled slightly when Brooke draped her arm around stomach and held her tight.

**xxxx**

"And you are officially unpacked," Brooke announced, clapping her hands together when Haley shut the dresser drawer. "I really think you packed the whole house."

"Well I didn't know what to bring!" Halley half yelled, blushing a shade of magenta when the people walking by stared at her. Brooke shrugged her shoulders and sat on the bed, making a face when she felt a spring stab her butt. "My mysterious roommate seemed to bring her whole house too."

"She looks like a bitch," Brooke mused, staring at the various pictures scattered around Haley's roommate's desk and dresser. Haley rolled her eyes, having heard this ever since they walked in and spotted the bright pink comforter. They decided she was a total girly girl and for the past hour Brooke had deemed her a bitch.

"Brooke you can't tell if she's a bitch or not by looking at the pictures she has. You don't even know which one is her!"

"I can spot a bitch a mile away," Brooke told her matter-of-factly, grabbing one of the pictures and pointing to a random girl. "And this girl is a bitch."

Haley gave up the will to fight and flopped back down on her bed, her eyes immediately widening when she a girl she assumed was her roommate walked in. She had platinum blonde hair and looked like she was a long lost Hilton sister. Brooke tried not to laugh at her horrible orange glow due to her fake tan.

"You're my roommate?" The girl asked somewhat snootily. Brooke shook her head and couldn't help but feel the need to watch her carefully. This girl was like Theresa 2.0 and she wasn't surprised when Haley nodded her head nervously. "And what are you like her lover?" She said, turning to Brooke and adjusting her sunglasses on the top of her head.

"Close," Brooke smiled sweetly and got ready to use the claws. "I'm her sister actually but good guess. I can tell you put a lot of effort into that conclusion." This was not happening Haley thought. The last person she saw Brooke bitch out was Theresa and she just hoped Brooke would hold it in and not cause a rift between her and the wannabe Hilton.

"I'm, I'm Haley," she said with a gulp, staring at the floor when awkward silence filled the air. Brooke sighed and watched as the blonde rolled her eyes.

"I'm Britney but don't expect us to be friends or whatever. I used to own girls like you in high school and if you think for a second we're going to be seen hanging around together you've got another thing coming." Without another word, she pushed her sunglasses down over her eyes and left the room, missing the look of surprise and rage plastered all over Brooke's face.

"Great!" Haley moaned, throwing her hands up in the air and falling backwards on the bed. Brooke shot her a sympathetic look and continued to stare at the door. "I've known her for 30 seconds and she already hates me!"

"I'll be back," Brooke told her quickly, waving her off when Haley began to protest. She excused herself as she weaved in and out of various boxes and people as she made her way down the hall after the roommate from hell. "Hey, Barbie!"

"Britney," she corrected forcefully.

"My bad," Brooke apologized, shrugging her shoulders and going on to tell her how easily she could mix the two names up. "Look, I don't know who the hell you think you are but you can't just cut my sister off like that."

"And who the hell are you to tell me what to do?" Britney asked, removing her sunglasses, much to the thanks of Brooke who was getting ready to rip them off any second and tell her she was indoors. "She's a little geek and it's painful to look at her."

"Whoa, whoa, that 'geek' you're nicely referring to is my little sister," Brooke informed her, getting ready to bring out the old Brooke James that Haley hated all throughout her Junior year of high school. "You have no right to judge her like that."

"Whatever," Britney rolled her eyes and adjusted her coach bag. This was going to be a lot harder than Brooke thought and she was trying to keep calm. "I went to high school with girls like her. I know her kind and believe me when I say this; I enjoyed torturing little pathetic losers like her. It was only right, letting them know where they stand."

"Okay, I was the same exact way," Brooke admitted, nodding her head when the blonde's fake blue eyes widened. "Yeah, even to Haley, my own flesh and blood. I would tease and torment her until I made her cry. I enjoyed it too until she was almost fucking raped by the star basketball player."

"Oh, I didn't know."

"Yeah, there are a lot of things you don't know about her," Brooke began, inching closer and closer and watching Britney inch backwards until she was up against the wall. "My sister has a lot and I mean a lot of stuff going on in her life. My parents died when she was 12 and since then she's been battling depression. If that's not enough, she's on medication for to help her stop cutting herself."

"I really am sorry, I didn't know," Britney whispered, feeling absolutely horrible after she made an effort to bitch Haley out and give her the cold shoulder.

"I know," Brooke whispered back, suddenly feeling herself go soft when she saw the look of concern on Britney's perfectly made up face. "Yeah, so, if I ever hear you making fun of her for whatever reason, I'll drive up here and personally kick your ass. Got that?"

"I've got a damn heart you know," Britney snapped, breathing a sigh of relief when Brooke reluctantly stepped back a few feet. "I'm sorry for being a bitch, okay? I've never been friends with someone like her and it's a little weird."

"She's _not_ weird," Brooke told her forcefully, making sure it got into the bimbo's head. "You should really get to know her before you start judging her."

"Fine," Britney relented, putting the white flag up. "I have to go get my books; I'll talk to her later and apologize, okay?"

"You better," Brooke snapped, watching as she began to walk away. "It was nice meeting you!" She called out sweetly once Britney turned back to look at her. Brooke happily skipped back to the room and couldn't help but smile widely at Haley. "You're all set!"

"Brooke, what did you do?" Haley asked with widened-eyes, fearing the absolute worst. "You, you didn't bitch her out, did you?"

"I had to!" Brooke yelled, shaking her head when Haley let out a large groan. "But don't worry everything is sorted and she's going to apologize when she gets back from buying whatever she said she was buying."

"Thanks," Haley sighed, getting up to her feet and giving Brooke a tight hug around the middle. She knew she would be leaving soon and definitely didn't want Brooke to go on bad terms. "I know you were just trying to help."

"I had to do big sister duty at least once while I was here," Brooke laughed, rubbing her hand up and down Haley's back before pulling away from the embrace. "Okay," she began sadly, sitting down on the bed next to Haley. "I should go if I want to make it back home while it's still light out."

"Oh, yeah," Haley whispered, sharing a tearful smile with Brooke. "Thanks for everything. Even though you didn't have to threaten to kick my roommate's ass, I really do appreciate it."

"No problem," Brooke told her, grabbing her hands and squeezing them. "I know I shouldn't even be bringing this up, but you've got your medication right?" Haley nodded and pointed to the small orange pill bottle resting next to her laptop. "Okay, good. And, and you're good with not hurting yourself?" She swung Haley's wrist back and forth a bit before dropping them to her knees.

"Yeah," Haley said with a nod. Brooke caught the waiver in her voice and immediately sat up straight in concern. "I'm not going to hurt myself, Brooke. I promise."

"Good," Brooke smiled and kissed her forehead before getting to her feet. "Please don't cry, baby, I don't want to walk out of here looking like a mess with my mascara running all down my face."

"Then don't look at me," Haley said quietly, standing on her tip toes and resting her forehead on Brooke's shoulder. They were both prepared for this and now that it was really here, neither of them wanted to say goodbye. Brooke let out a small groan and wrapped her arms around her sister. "Do you really have to go?"

"I do," Brooke told her sadly, holding her tighter and trying to bite back her tears. They held each other for a bit longer before Brooke finally pulled back and looked away when Haley wiped her eyes. "You'll be just fine and you can call me whenever you want to talk, got that?"

"Got it," Haley laughed through her tears before giving Brooke one last hug. She had to let her go now because if she didn't, she'd be walking right out the door with her. They said one last goodbye and Haley sat on the bed and watched as Brooke slowly made her way over to the door. "I love you, Brooke."

"I love you too, baby," Brooke turned back and smiled at her. She gave her a small wave before taking a deep breath and walking out the door and choosing never to look back. She had to let Haley grow up someday and that day was today.

**xxxx**

Brooke threw the remote in frustration when she found nothing on TV. Haley had been at school for about a week now and she herself had started school, hating the fact that Tim was in most of her classes. Taylor flopped down beside her and sighed at how quiet the house was without Haley. They both missed her the same and had to fight the urge of driving 8 hours to see her.

"I miss the munchkin," Brooke sighed, leaning to the side and resting her head on Taylor's shoulder. "God, it's so quiet without her."

"I know," Taylor wrinkled her nose and never appreciated Haley's big mouth until she was gone. "So how was everything? You made sure she had her stuff?"

"Yes, Taylor," Brooke told her for what felt like the hundredth time since Taylor got home. "She's got her Prozac and she told me wasn't going to hurt herself."

"I just still can't believe she's at Yale," Taylor mused, shaking her head to rid herself of the daze that was coming on. "Our little Haley-bub is 8 hours away and, wow, she's just on her own and I just can't believe it."

"Aw, speak of the devil," Brooke smiled when she saw Haley's name flash across her cell phone. She flipped it open and was eager to hear her voice. "Hi, baby, how are you?"

"I want to come home."

"Haley," Brooke laughed, "you haven't even been there a week, you can't come home already." Taylor raised her eyebrows and told Brooke to put her on speaker phone so she could hear it too. Haley grunted and both older James girls made a face when she sniffled loudly. "What's wrong?"

"I don't know!" Haley cried on the other end, holding Mr. Waffles tight and just hoping her roommate wouldn't come back and see her like this. "I don't like it here."

"It just takes time," Taylor told her softly, hoping that would ease Haley's mind. "Where's your roommate? How come you're not hanging out with her?"

"She went to a party."

"Oh, Haley-bub it's thirsty Thursday, you should be out there with her," Taylor laughed, just picturing the horrified look on Haley's face. "Come on, don't you know that saying? Live it up, drink it down."

"Shut up," Haley mumbled, letting out a small whimper when they continued to laugh. "I really want to come home. Can you please come get me?"

"We're not coming to get you," Brooke told her with an eye roll, shaking her head when Haley groaned. "Why don't you do your homework or something?"

"I already did it," Haley said quickly, "I just really, really, want to come home. Coming here was just a big mistake and I just want to be home with you guys. Please?"

"Haley, it was not a mistake. It's just going to have to take some time getting used to," Taylor sighed and flopped back on the couch, trying her best to control the situation. She felt horrible for expecting Haley to call them in a mess of tears. "You just need to do something to take your mind off things."

"Yeah," Brooke agreed, trying to think of something for Haley to do. "Why don't you go hang out with that girl you were telling me about earlier? What is she doing?"

"I don't know, Brooke!" Haley yelled, wishing she was at home to slap some sense into Brooke. "All I know is that I want to come home! I'll take a bus if I have to."

"Haley stop crying and listen to me," Taylor began, waiting patiently as Haley tried her best to control her tears. "I know it's a scary and I wanted to come home at first too, but once you meet people you're going to love it there."

"No I won't," Haley replied bitterly, pouting like a little 5-year old. "Fine, I'll just sit here and be a depressed teenager. I won't bother you anymore."

"Oh, Haley stop," Brooke groaned, feeling her patience running thin with her sister. Haley sighed and cleared her throat before waiting for Brooke to go on. "It's all in your head, baby. You're fine and you don't need me or Taylor to come rescue you. You're on your own now and I know that's scary but you'll be just fine."

Taylor and Brooke both sighed when Haley went on one of her famous rambling sprees and began to complain about the food, no hot water in the shower, the bitchy neighbors she had and anything else she could think of, anything to make them feel bad. Taylor finally grabbed the phone from Brooke and took her off speaker phone, pressing the cell phone up against her ear.

"Fine, Hay, you want to come home? You can come home," Taylor told her honestly, pushing Brooke away when she looked at her in surprise. Haley sniffled on the other end and couldn't believe what she was hearing.

"Are, are you serious? I can really come home?" Haley asked cautiously, wondering if Taylor was just pulling her leg. When Taylor told her she was serious, Haley couldn't help but smile.

"Yeah," Taylor began, motioning for Brooke to stop trying to listen in. "I'll tell you what, tomorrow morning you can go withdraw from the College. After that, you can call me and I'll come pick you up. How does that sound?"

"Good," Haley agreed, deciding that Taylor was being real and not just trying to fake her out. Taylor on the other hand just hoped that her youngest sister would fall for the reverse psychology she tried using on them for years and years. "Okay, I'm really doing that."

"That's fine with me." Brooke still sat there in confusion. Was Taylor really telling Haley she could come home? After all the talks Taylor gave Brooke about letting Haley grow up and be on her own, Taylor was doing the exact opposite. "But when you're home, you're going to have to get a full time job and pay rent. Also, you're not sitting on your ass all night either. You can take classes at THCC, okay?"

"Oh," Haley whispered, cursing herself for falling for Taylor's stupid plan. After all those years she finally became immune to it and for the first time in ages, she had fallen for Taylor's crap reverse psychology. Brooke couldn't help but laugh when she saw the satisfied smirk on Taylor's face, knowing Haley had fallen for it. "I, I um think that maybe I'll just stay here."

"I think that's the best idea," Taylor laughed, listening as Haley sighed on the end, probably beating herself up for believing her. "But I'm going to go, okay? You'll be fine Haley-bub and things will get better." She quickly said her goodbyes before passing the phone to Brooke and disappearing out of the room.

"All better now?" Brooke asked, feeling half convinced with Haley's inaudible mumble. Brooke couldn't help but sigh herself and she was telling herself that it was for the best, Haley being on her own and so far away. "If I could, I'd come up there with you, but I can't. Besides, it's good for you to be on your own, branch out and meet new people."

"I know," Haley said quietly, fiddling with the teddy bear's arm. "I just wish I wasn't so far away, you know? At least if I were close by I could come home anytime or you guys could visit. I don't know if I can last until November."

"Yes you can, baby," Brooke told her, slumping down on the couch and resting her head on the arm. "You have to believe in yourself and stop putting yourself down. It's not good for you or your self-esteem."

"I can't help it," Haley admitted, flopping back down on the bed and pulling the covers over her. She must have looked pretty pathetic, already dressed in her pajamas, homework done and snuggled up in bed at 8 O'clock. "I'm just lonely."

"I know you are," Brooke sighed, trying to think of the right thing to say to make her sister feel better. But so far she was coming up short. "I'm lonely too. Everyone's gone and it's just me, Taylor, Dim and Karen. Just make some friends and you'll be all set," Brooke added in, hoping to wrap up the phone call before she started crying. "But, baby I'm gonna go cause I have stuff to do, okay?"

"No, no, can't you just stay on a little longer?" Haley asked shyly. If she knew Brooke then she knew she would instantly say yes. At least that would make her feel better for a few more minutes. "Please, Brooke?"

"Haley, I really have to go," Brooke told her sadly, trying to block out the whimpering coming from Haley. She was probably going to burst into tears again but Brooke had no choice, she couldn't baby her for the rest of her life. "Haley, stop. You're going to be fine and I don't need to stay on the line with you. I really think you're old enough to be by yourself," she told her lightly, biting her lip when Haley snorted. "But, I left you something in your desk drawer so read that and maybe that will make you feel better."

"Fine," Haley sniffled, wiping her eyes and throwing the covers off her.

"I'll call you tomorrow," Brooke promised, making a mental note to remember after she got out of her last class. "I love you, baby, I always have. Bye," she whispered, listening as Haley said her last words before she hung up the phone, tossing it aside and wiping her own eyes once Taylor came back in.

Haley slowly crawled out of bed and turned on her bedside lamp, rummaging through the top drawer of her desk before pulling out a single piece of paper. It was about a half of page with Brooke's big, bubbly writing all over it. She grabbed her glasses and sat back down on the bed, taking a deep breath as she read to herself.

_Haley-_

_I don't even know if I'm going to give this letter to you or not, but if I do, then here it goes. I know we got off on the wrong foot once high school started and I am so unbelievably sorry for brushing you off like that. I never meant for any of things to happen; the Theresa thing, the whole making fun of you and just plain ignoring you. I completely understand you hating me for all that and if I were you, I'd hate myself too. I still can't believe you forgave me and that's something I'll never forget. You've got a big heart, baby, and I'm so lucky to have you for a sister. Although you're far away, we'll always be together no matter what. I love you with all my heart, I always have and I always will. There's nothing you could ever do to make me stop loving you. I have so much faith in you and I know you'll get past this depression and you can beat it, I know you can and me and Taylor are here to help you whenever you need it. _

_I guess, I just really wanted to write this to apologize again for all that crap I pulled in high school. I never, never should have teased you and I never should have let my squad torment you until you cried your eyes out. I still remember the look on your face that day Theresa started going off about mom and dad and I don't think I'll ever be able to forget how devastated you looked. It broke my heart, baby, and it kills me to think I would ever let something happen like that. I know I've said it days on end, but I really am truly sorry and if I could take it all back, I could. But I can't and so this is why I'm writing this and hopefully the next paragraph can explain how sorry I am. I love you and I know you'll have so much fun at College. Just try not to forget about your awesome big sister back home in Tree Hill, okay?_

Haley couldn't help but laugh at the last line as she pushed up her glasses to wipe away the tears forming in her eyes. She wasn't prepared for the next paragraph but the next thing she knew, her eyes were traveling down the page and she was locked on the first sentence.

_I talk to absolutely no one, couldn't keep to myself enough. And the things bottled inside have finally begun to create so much pressure that I'll soon blow up. I heard the reverberating footsteps sinking up to the beating of my heart, and I was positive that unless I got myself together, I would watch me fall apart. And I can't let that happen again 'cause then you'll see my heart in the saddest state it's ever been._

_You might think I'm losing my mind, but I will shy away from the specifics... I'm sorry for the person I became. I'm sorry that it took so long for me to change. I'm ready to try and never become that way again 'cause who I am hates who I've been.  
_

_Who I am hates who I've been._

She stared at the last line, the very last line on the page. It was simple yet so meaningful. Haley continued to gaze at it in somewhat fascination. Brooke just explained her feelings perfectly and Haley couldn't help but agree with the one line.

"Me too, Brooke, me too," she mumbled, taking one last look at the letter before putting it back in her desk for another day. She crawled back into bed and stared at the ceiling, making a promise to herself from this day forward.

She was never hiding behind lying eyes again.

* * *

**Song used: "Who I am Hates Who I've Been," by Relient K.**

**So, there it is. It's all over and I know the whole thing probably stunk, but it was just totally off the top of my head. I didn't know what I wanted to do with this chapter and I just wrote whatever came to me. **

**Now, I know some of you might be mad about the BL reunion, but I had to give Brooke a happy ending somehow. Even though they look happy now, it won't be in the sequel as you'll see why in the first chapter. **

**The whole Emily thing kind of…well it kind of threw me off the deep end. I didn't know what to do with the whole thing and I wrote myself into a hole with that one. So I'm really sorry that I didn't do anything with her, I just, I guess I just couldn't think of anything and didn't explore the whole concept of it. **

**I've got the whole sequel planned out pretty much so hopefully I can finish the first chapter ASAP. It's a lot more sadder than this and what I've got planned for each of them, Haley especially, will hopefully surprise you. Nathan does come back as does a few others who I want to remain a surprise. **

**I just want to thank you all so much for all the reviews. Even though this story annoyed the crap out of me towards the end, I would have never done it if it wasn't for you guys. So, thanks again and I really appreciate each and everyone of you who took time to leave a review.**

**So, keep your eyes peeled for the sequel, "Lonely People Tumble Downwards," sometime in the future. Thanks again! **

**Kristin**


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